The Harmful Effects of Glyphosate on Human Health
Most people don’t give too much thought to how their produce is grown. According to natural health expert Dr. Juli Mazi, though, the chemicals that are used to grow produce can often turn otherwise healthy fruits and vegetables into foods that are harmful to your health.
One such chemical that Juli Mazi says is especially concerning is glyphosate – a pesticide used to kill weeds, grasses, and other pests in the fields where crops are grown. Glyphosate is the primary ingredient in RoundUp, a commonly used weed killer. While there’s no denying that glyphosate is an effective pesticide, glyphosate can also lead to a number of harmful consequences for those who consume the produce that is exposed to this chemical.
Juli Mazi points to a report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as proof that the effects of glyphosate are something that should be taken seriously. This report lists a number of concerning glyphosate side effects, including side effects such as:
- Birth defects
- Premature births
- DNA damage- which can be associated with hereditary diseases like cancer
- Kidney damage
- Liver damage
- Thyroid damage
- Skin tumors
- Decreased sperm count and infertility
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Hairy cell leukemia
In spite of these proven harmful effects of glyphosate, glyphosate continues to be one of the most commonly used herbicides in the agricultural industry. In fact, the EPA reports that around 280 million pounds of glyphosate are applied to an average of 298 million acres of cropland each year. Additionally, certain crops are being genetically modified, so they can resist glyphosate.
So how do you avoid glyphosate and its harmful health effects? According to Juli Mazi, there’s no easy way to tell whether the produce you purchase was exposed to glyphosate while it was being grown. The only way to know for certain that glyphosate was not used on your produce is to purchase fruits and vegetables that are certified organic. Produce that has received USDA organic certification cannot be grown using glyphosate or any other chemical herbicides and is instead grown using entirely natural methods.
Juli Mazi points out that many people are shocked to learn that a chemical with side effects as harmful as those caused by glyphosate is still used at such a widespread rate. However, she also says that glyphosate is not an outlier and is just one of several harmful chemicals that are still used by farmers across the country. For this reason, Juli Mazi recommends that consumers should purchase organic produce whenever possible. While the cost of organic produce may make trips to the market a little harder on your budget, the cost of exposing yourself to chemicals such as glyphosate is much higher.
