Findings from a new study suggest the brain may be much more susceptible to the harmful effects of the herbicide than previously believed
It could have “persistent and harmful effects” on brain health and lead to Alzheimer’s disease: glyphosate has close correlations with inflammation of brain tissue and with a greater risk of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as a greater incidence of premature mortality.
This is what emerges from a new study by Arizona State University Ramon Velazquez and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), according to which exposure to the herbicide develops significant brain inflammation, associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
Already just over two years ago, research had demonstrated the ability of glyphosate to overcome the blood-brain barrier, increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Now this work represents a further step forward in understanding the impact of this widely used herbicide on the brain.
In new laboratory investigations, exposure to glyphosate was used for 13 weeks, followed by a recovery period of six months and it was highlighted that even at small doses, close to the limit used to establish acceptable levels for humans , glyphosate has shown harmful effects.
These include: premature death, an acceleration of Alzheimer’s-like pathology and “anxiety-like behaviors,” as well as neuroinflammation.
What is glyphosate
We know it well by now: it’s one molecule similar to the amino acid glycinebut modified with a phosphorus-based group. It was discovered in 1950 by chemist Henry Martinbut it was in the 1970s that its properties were discovered by the Monsanto chemists Company. To this day it is still themost widespread herbicide in the world and, as well as in agriculture, glyphosate and commercial formulations containing it are widely used in urban and domestic environments.
Anyone can come into contact with this chemical substance, either through direct exposure during agricultural and garden applications, or throughwater, drinks and foods of plant origin (bread, pasta, cereals, legumes, in which it is often used as a desiccant before harvest), meat and its processed products, in particular where animals are fed with derivatives from GMO plants.
