Round Up and Health
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The debate on whether Round Up is safe or not safe goes round and round. As we approach prime time for Round Up's use, please take a moment to read through some of these studies and articles to determine if the risks are worth it to you:
Adrenal destruction and Round Up:
A new study finds that the Roundup herbicide disrupts the hormonal system of rats at low levels at which it's meant to produce no adverse effects. By the same mechanism It may be causing the potentially fatal condition of 'adrenal insufficiency' in humans.
https://theecologist.org/2015/aug/21/roundup-may-cause-potentially-fatal-adrenal-insufficiencyThe effect of Roundup® on adrenal gland steroidogenesis and signaling pathway associated with steroid production was investigated. Doses of 10, 50, 100 and 250 mg/kg bw/d Roundup® were administered for two weeks to adult male rats. The 10 mg/kg bw/d dose which reduced circulatory corticosterone levels, but did not change food consumption and body weight, was selected for further study. The expression of cholesterol receptor (low density lipoprotein receptor), de novo cholesterol synthesis enzyme (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase), hormone-sensitive lipase, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) mRNA and phosphorylated form was decreased. Adrenocorticotropic hormone receptor (ACTH), melanocortin-2 receptor, expression was not changed but circulatory ACTH levels and adrenal cortex protein kinase A (PKA) activity were reduced. Surprisingly, exogenous ACTH treatment rescued steroidogenesis in Roundup®-treated animals. Apoptosis was evident at 250 mg/kg bw/d, but not at 10 mg/kg bw/d dose. These results suggest that Roundup® may be inhibitory to hypothalamic–pituitary axis leading to reduction in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/PKA pathway, StAR phosphorylation and corticosterone synthesis in the adrenal tissue.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221475001530041XIf you're curious what all your Adrenal Glands control, you can take a quick look here: https://www.livescience.com/59039-adrenal-glands.html
Gut Issues and Round Up:
A recent study on glyphosate exposure in carnivorous fish revealed remarkable adverse effects throughout the digestive system (Senapati et al., 2009). The activity of protease, lipase, and amylase were all decreased in the esophagus, stomach, and intestine of these fish following exposure to glyphosate. The authors also observed “disruption of mucosal folds and disarray of microvilli structure” in the intestinal wall, along with an exaggerated secretion of mucin throughout the alimentary tract.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/Super long read, but it covers a lot re: the potential negative affect of Round Up: >http://library.au.dk/fileadmin/www.bibliotek.au.dk/fagsider/jordbrug/Specialer/Master_Thesis_final.pdf
