Infinity Health & Wellness Magazine December / January 2017 | Page 20

HContribute
ow GMOs, Pesticides and Processed Foods
to Common Bowel Disorders
by Dr. Joeseph Mercola
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — not to be confused
with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — is an autoimmune
disease that can have very serious consequences.

Ultimately, GMOs create bowel hypersensitivity, increase
inflammation and damage to the intestinal lining. This
makes IBD and IBS cases much worse, as they contribute
and in some cases, may actually trigger these diseases.”
How Glyphosate Affects Your Health

According to the latest statistics from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), IBD affects more
than 3 million American adults, nearly triple previous
estimates.1 There are two types of IBD: •Crohn’s disease
•Ulcerative colitis

While Monsanto insists that Roundup is safe and
“minimally toxic” to humans, independent research6
strongly suggests that glyphosate residues “enhance the
damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues
and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body
functions and induce disease.”

Both of these IBD conditions involve chronic
inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Symptoms
include abdominal cramps, fatigue and diarrhea. IBD also
raises your risk of developing colorectal cancer, the third
most common cancer in the U.S.2

According to Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D., a research
scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) and Anthony Samsel, Ph.D., a research scientist
and consultant:

What’s Behind the Rise in IBD?

“Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests
slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems
throughout the body.”

As with many other autoimmune disorders, IBD cannot
be traced back to any single cause; rather, it appears to
be influenced by several factors, including: •Genetics
•Toxic environmental exposures •Diet •Altered
intestinal microbiome •Immune dysfunction
Researchers believe the rise in IBD may be linked to
dietary changes, as more people are now eating primarily
processed foods high in sugars and synthetic chemicals.
Other factors thought to play a role in IBD include:3,4 •Air
pollution •Excessive exposure to antibiotics •Pesticide
exposure (glyphosate being identified as being particularly
harsh on gut microbes) •Genetically modified organisms
(GMOs)
As noted by Digestive Medical Solutions:5 “[I]n addition
to the rising economic, ecological and ethical questions
raised by GMOs, there is a growing health risk …
Specifically, a higher risk for allergies, toxic intestinal
bacteria, reduced immune function, liver problems and
many other highly controversial links.
These risks apply to everyone, but especially those with
irritable bowel diseases. For a patient with Crohn’s
disease or ulcerative colitis, they’re devastating, making
it difficult for patients to recover properly, especially with
so many other complications involved.

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Samsel and Seneff have also published research tying
glyphosate exposure to Celiac disease and gluten
intolerance.7
While genetically engineered (GE) crops such as corn,
soybeans and sugar beets tend to contain higher levels
of glyphosate due to them being more heavily sprayed,
conventional non-organic crops such as wheat a re also
routinely doused with glyphosate pre-harvest to boost
yield, a practice known as dessication. In summary,
studies have found that glyphosate:
• Inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes that catalyze
the oxidation of organic substances. This, Samsel and
Seneff believe, is “an overlooked component of its
toxicity to mammals.”
One of the functions of CYP enzymes is to detoxify
xenobiotics — chemical compounds found in a living
organism that are not normally produced or consumed by
the organism in question.
By limiting the ability of these enzymes to detoxify foreign
chemical compounds, glyphosate enhances the damaging
effects of those chemicals and environmental toxins you
may be exposed to.

Dec / Jan 2017