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Monsanto

Gluten, GMOs, Probiotics and Monsanto; the Web Tightens

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gluten and GMOs
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/kattebelletje/

I’ve had many people ask me about this “gluten free” thing and whether it’s “real.” Or is it just a fad?

First and foremost, the entity known as celiac disease is nothing new. The traditional acceptance of celiac disease is a condition where the immune system of the gut attacks the gluten containing portion of grains (namely wheat, but also to a certain degree in oats, barley and rye). This attack results in the lining of the gut (the villa) being flattened out. While a normal gut may have the area of a tennis court, in someone with celiac disease that eats gluten, the destruction of the lining of the gut leaves you with a ping pong table.

The shrinkage of the area that is needed to absorb nutrients wreaks havoc long term and leads to most of the issues associated with traditional celiac disease (osteoporosis, neurological disturbances, shortened life span, etc…). This is the far end of the spectrum and is usually diagnosed via biopsy of the lining of the gut. Moving up the spectrum (from worst to less-worser), the blood markers anti-transglutaminase and anti-gliadin antibodies will be elevated and can be checked in a blood test.

This is generally where mainstream medicine stops at the definition of celiac disease. However, as I mentioned, it is a spectrum and not a set point. As you move away from the biopsy proven gluten allergy to the other end of the spectrum, “sensitivity” becomes a much better word to use. At this end, the number of people with sensitivity to gluten is quite high and it is very real.

And the numbers of people with gluten sensitivity keep going up. But why?

A portion of this may due to a cross reaction between a protein found in the yeast Candida albicans and a protein found in gluten. This means that a prescription for antibiotics, which will increase the number of yeast in your gut, can initiate the onset of celiac disease in genetically susceptible patients.

Combine the wanton use of antibiotics with conventionally grown grains given high amounts of nitrogen-based fertilizer (more nitrogen leads to more gliadin for the gut to react to) and you’ve got a recipe for more gluten problems.

But it turns out the story may be more complicated. This particular article looks at the role of glyphosphate (the principle component of the herbicide Roundup used heavily in GMO crops) and the realionship to celiac disease. While the article is quite complex, here are the high points:

• Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are similar to celiac disease.
• Glyphosphate triggers imbalances in gut bacteria (reduced Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which break down gluten).
• Disrupts detox P450 enzymes, interrupting the activation of vitamin A and D, the maintenance of bile acid production as well as the breakdown of environmental toxins.
• Glyphosphate chelates and leads to deficiencies in iron, cobalt, molybdenum and copper.
• Glyphosphate leads to deficiencies in the amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine and selenomethionine.
• In addition, both celiac patients and glyphosphate exposure increase risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
• Both are associated with reproductive issues like infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects.

Making matters worse, glyphosphate residues in wheat and other crops are likely increasing due to the growing practice of crop desiccation just prior to the harvest.

So, is it glyphosphate toxicity or gluten sensitivity? I’m pretty sure that this article didn’t entirely clear things up for many of you. The bottom line is that the answer likely lies somewhere in between. Either way, it would seem smart to take away two needed changes from this article. First, living a naturally gluten-restricted diet is a good idea. This does NOT mean buying the same types of foods you have always eaten but just buying them gluten-free. Not a good idea.

Second, if you do take in any gluten-containing grains, make sure they are organic or at least GMO free to reduce the likelihood that you will be exposed to glyphosphate.

Male Infertility Problems? Could Monsanto Be to Blame?

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The blame for infertility usually falls to the female. Rarely is the evil eye cast upon the chance of male infertility problems.

As with the female half of fertility, lifestyle plays a large role in the number and viability of sperm.  Despite this knowledge, visits to fertility “specialists” are usually limited in scope to the female side of things.  This is because we can DO things to the female like give hormones to force fertility or, even more creatively, give hormones to the female to force fertility.  The best known, most successful fertility specialists will even use hormones to force fertility in the female.

On the male side, there are few things we can DO to the male to increase sperm viability.  This is because sperm is usually negatively affected by lifestyle and toxic exposures that need to be improved (with lifestyle) or eliminated (with toxic exposures).  Fertility specialists are not all that great at identifying toxic exposures that will decrease the viability of the sperm.  So what can help or harm male fertility?  Here are a few I’ve touched on over the years:

There are, of course, many other factors, but chemical exposure is high on the list.  Phthalates are compounds found in plastics as well (think “new shower curtain” smell) that are well known to affect fertility in females and males.

All of this sets the stage for this particular article, but before we get into this, you need to understand the concept of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).

Monsanto, the archetypical evil corporation, makes (among many other toxins) the herbicide Roundup.  Roundup indiscriminately kills growing things.  It would be a bad idea for a farmer, therefore, to spray his fields with Roundup because his crops would get wiped out along with the weeds.  On a white horse rides in Monsanto.  Their scientists twist Nature, splicing in a gene into the seed so that the plant is resistant to Roundup.  Now the happy farmer can coat his fields in Roundup without having to worry about his crops dying.

This is done to a variety of crops like wheat, corn, soy and alfalfa and the process continues to creep into all crops.  So why all the hubbub over GMO crops?  Just because it is completely messing with Mother Nature’s design shouldn’t have anyone worried, should it?

Of course the answer is yes.  Roundup contains a compound called glyphosate.  Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the US, so you can be pretty sure that, unless you are eating all organic, you’re getting a hefty dose of it.  And, at least if you’re a rat in this study, it kills off the Sertoli cells of the testis (these cells support the development of sperm).

Doesn’t sound like a good thing.  Drinking away some brain cells in college is one thing, but eating away the cells that help us guys make sperm is another thing altogether.

Keep in mind that this is a rat study, but here are the specifics:

  1. Roundup exposure was given at low doses (36 ppm) for 30 minutes.
  2. This created oxidative stress and turned on multiple stress-response pathways leading to Sertoli cell death.
  3. Roundup basically led to calcium overload within the cells, which set off oxidative stress and cell death.
  4. Roundup decreased the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and increased the amounts of thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS) and protein carbonyls.
  5. Roundup stimulated the activity of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, supporting downregulated GSH levels (basically, the cells were trying to protect themselves, albeit unsuccessfully).

So the next time you see the Millions Against Monsanto or the Occupy Monsanto FB page, instead of thinking that these are a bunch of fringe-environmentalists, it might be a good idea to listen to what they have to say.