If the mother has been exposed to antibiotics either via food or pharmacologics, her microbiome will be altered which will impact the baby’s microbiota inheritance. One of the roles of the infant’s microbiota is the establishment of the innate immune system.29
The emergence of childhood health issues from obesity, immune dysregulation (allergies/asthma) and ASD are linked to early microbiome disturbances.30 Based on the importance of the acquisition of the most robust microbiota possible from the mother, antibiotic usage in all forms for mother and infant should be used judiciously. Based on our current understanding of the antimicrobial effects of this ubiquitous herbicide, glyphosate should be banned outright. Of note, in addition to glyphosate, other pesticides have also been shown to affect the microbiota. There are many studies that have documented how organophosphate (OP) insecticides also affect the microbiota.31
Of interest, many of the studies postulate modification techniques of the microbiota to reduce toxicity rather than elimination of OPs, and thus, do not acknowledge or address the true treatment which is removal of the root cause. OP insecticides will be addressed further below.
In trying to understand how much pesticide exposure such as glyphosate (the most commonly applied pesticides globally) African children receive, a quick review will be presented regarding glyphosate application.32 The amount of glyphosate applied in continental Africa depends on the individual country. For example, South Africa accounts for 2% of the global pesticide usage secondary to its adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and there are 96 glyphosate-based herbicides registered.33
Kenya reports that 2.6 million kilograms (kgs) of glyphosate-based herbicides are imported into their country annually and are present in 70 of their 1,540 pesticide products approved in crops.34 Uganda reports 42 of 300 herbicides are glyphosate-based.35
It is important to note that the usage of glyphosate-based herbicides in Africa has created significant controversy. Organizations, such as The African Centre for Biosafety,36 is running a campaign to ban glyphosate. Additionally, there are other African countries looking at the health ramifications of glyphosate. In 2019, the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) published a paper supporting the findings of IARC and its position on glyphosate to be carcinogenic, as well as an endocrine-disruptor, cytotoxic agent, genotoxic agent and teratogen.37
What should be alarming is that despite the vigorous research and number of organizations and countries that are engaged in either restricting or banning glyphosate-based herbicides, little attention has been paid to the ongoing exposure from a health perspective to our most vulnerable populations. As mentioned previously, South Africa grows GMO crops and according to the African Center of Biodiversity, half of South Africa’s maize crop and 100% of the soya crop are GMO which means it is grown with glyphosate.38 are main staples of the South African diet.
Further analyzing the question of how much African children are being exposed to glyphosate-based herbicides, let’s look quantitatively at the actual amounts of glyphosate that children consume in their diets. In a South African study of 81 off-the-shelf maize and soybean food products tested for glyphosate, 67% contained glyphosate in the range of 27-2,357 parts per billion (ppb). 30 of 57 maize products contained glyphosate in the range of 27 to 95 ppb. All 11 soya products contained glyphosate in the range of 27 to 142 ppb. All 6 corn-soy blends tested positive for glyphosate in the range of 43-65 ppb. 7 texturized soy protein products tested positive for glyphosate in the range of 41 to 2,257 ppb. Clearly, the main diet of South African children, heavily comprised of maize and soya, is contaminated with very high levels of glyphosate and are
much higher than acceptable levels determined to be safe in children.39 significance of these findings will be discussed below.