Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide better known by its trade name, Roundup. Residues of this compound are found in many foods. (Keep reading for a somewhat shocking, if partial, list.) To date, many lawsuits have claimed that glyphosate was responsible for cancer. Settlements have reached billions of dollars. Cancer may not be the only worry when it comes to glyphosate, though.
Roundup and Neuroinflammation:
New research in mice suggests that glyphosate may also cause inflammation in the brain (Journal of Neuroinflammation, Dec. 4, 2024). To learn about this, the investigators dosed the mice with glyphosate for two weeks and examined their brain tissue after six months. (That’s a significant proportion of a mouse’s life expectancy.)
Despite the extended recovery period, there was clear evidence of neurological impairment and inflammation within the brain. The authors conclude that glyphosate exposure in these mice resulted in brain pathology similar to that seen in Alzheimer disease.
They warn:
“As glyphosate use continues to rise, more research is needed to elucidate the impact of this herbicide and its metabolites on the human brain, and their potential to contribute to dysfunctions observed in neurodegenerative diseases.”
EWG Warns of Glyphosate Exposure in Common Foods:
A report several years ago by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggested that oats and oat cereals contain residues of glyphosate. Some industry-affiliated groups contested those findings, leaving doctors and patients wondering what to think.
What’s Wrong with Roundup?
This report got a lot of attention at the time. In part, that was because the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared glyphosate a probable human carcinogen back in 2015. Needless to say, the company that makes Roundup did not agree. A Monsanto spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that the popular weedkiller had been extensively studied and that it does not cause cancer.
Nonetheless, a California jury awarded $289 million in damages to the heirs of a man who claimed that his exposure to Roundup as a groundskeeper for a school system led to his terminal cancer.
Which Breakfast Cereals Contain Roundup?
While the EPA and its European counterpart deliberated on whether glyphosate actually poses an elevated risk of cancer, the EWG warned that breakfast foods like oats, granola, oatmeal and granola bars may contain elevated levels of the herbicide. EWG named Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats as well as Cheerios as contaminated with Roundup residue. Quaker Oats and General Mills both objected that their products met safety standards. Until policymakers resolve the controversy over glyphosate as a cancer-causing agent, parents may want to find substitutes for these popular breakfast foods. EWG suggested relying on organic oat products rather than potentially contaminated ones.
Are There Other Foods with Roundup Residue?
Oats are not the only foods that have been found to contain residues of this herbicide. When scientists tested soy, corn, chickpeas, grapes and honey in Europe and North America, they detected contamination (Foods, Nov. 12, 2021).
These investigators reached the cautious conclusion:
“Glyphosate residues have been detected in a large number of samples, sometimes in values that exceed the legally permitted limits, which can put at risk the most vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly.”
