Got gut (or other health) issues? Why going organic may help
Day 8, hope you are feeling great!
Today I’d like to share a little about the “why” behind the recommendation to try to eat organically grown foods as much as possible… this is a big topic!
It can feel overwhelming to make the switch from conventional foods and products to organic, but small changes add up. My philosophy is that the fewer chemicals we put in our bodies the better. The U.S. allows many additives in our foods that are banned in other countries because of health risks, so its up to us as consumers to make decisions we believe in for the health of our bodies and the planet.
The “Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen”, published yearly by the Environmental Working Group, is a great resource to start the process of reducing chemicals in our diets while avoiding the expense of items that have less harm when eating conventional versions.
Cleaning products and body care items are also a big deal! The less we are exposed to weird chemicals and artificial fragrances, the better off we are! Next time you run out of shampoo or dish soap, consider reading labels and finding a clean replacement :)
Our associate Rachel Firak, CCT, has written a beautifully researched article to offer some big picture insights on how an organic diet and gut health play an enormous role in healing and preventing a wide array of chronic disease. Enjoy!!
By Rachel Firak
We’ve all heard that organic food is supposed to be better for our health for a number of reasons. For one, it’s supposed to contain fewer pesticides. But how do pesticides really affect us?
One of the most widely used pesticides worldwide is Glyphosate - the primary ingredient in the herbicide RoundUp. In the 1970s when it was first produced, glyphosate was thought to be harmless to humans, since mammal cells do not possess the shikimate pathway which glyphosate uses to kill weeds. However, research - though not conclusive - has at times linked Roundup exposure to such varying conditions as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, asthma, autism, diabetes, obesity, and Parkinson’s disease (1). How can this be?
One reason may be that glyphosate affects the organisms in our gut. Fungi, bacteria, protozoa and archaea all possess the shikimate pathway glyphosate targets - making glyphosate, in effect, an antibiotic. In fact, glyphosate was patented as an antibiotic by its producer, Monsanto, in 2010 (1).
Glyphosate negatively affects several bacteria that are an essential part of our gut microbiome, such as Ruminococcaceae spp., Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp (1). Decreased levels of these bacteria are linked with conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease (2), immune dysfunction (3), and autoimmunity (4). Bacteria that show more resistance to glyphosate include Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter spp. and Geobacillus spp. These bacteria may be responsible for increased free radicals and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may be one mechanism for glyphosate’s potential link to cancer (1).
Yet another potential factor is nutritional. Plants exposed to glyphosate have reduced levels of tryptophan and phenylalanine (1). These are essential nutrients, meaning they cannot be synthesized by the body and have to be obtained through food. Additional compounds affected by the shikimate pathway include alkaloids, which have medicinal, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Plants treated with glyphosate cannot produce these compounds (1).
What happens to our bodies if we have a deficiency of these substances? Tryptophan is a precursor of the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin, which regulate appetite, sleep, mood, and pain response (5). Its deficiency is associated with increased pain sensitivity, startle response and aggression in humans, and tryptophan supplementation has been used to treat depression (6). Phenylalanine is used by the body to make tyrosine, which is necessary for brain function; phenylalanine deficiency, though rare, is linked to conditions such as eczema, fatigue, and memory disorders (5).
So what do eczema, fatigue, asthma, diabetes, obesity, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s, cancer, and depression all have in common? Though the link between these conditions is still pending, the answer may lie in our gut.
Organic certification sharply limits the amount and types of pesticides and fertilizers that can be used in food production. Though complete purity in our interconnected world is unknown, eating organic may benefit our intestinal microflora - which may, in turn, affect our health in many ways.
References:
Walsh, L., Hill, C., & Ross, R. P. (2023). Impact of glyphosate (RoundupTM) on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome. Gut microbes, 15(2), 2263935. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2023.2263935
Gu, X., Sim, J. X. Y., Lee, W. L., Cui, L., Chan, Y. F. Z., Chang, E. D., Teh, Y. E., Zhang, A. N., Armas, F., Chandra, F., Chen, H., Zhao, S., Lee, Z., Thompson, J. R., Ooi, E. E., Low, J. G., Alm, E. J., & Kalimuddin, S. (2021). Gut Ruminococcaceae levels at baseline correlate with risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. iScience, 25(1), 103644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.103644
Gavzy, S. J., Kensiski, A., Lee, Z. L., Mongodin, E. F., Ma, B., & Bromberg, J. S. (2023). Bifidobacterium mechanisms of immune modulation and tolerance. Gut microbes, 15(2), 2291164. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2023.2291164
Matsuzaki, T., Takagi, A., Ikemura, H., Matsuguchi, T., & Yokokura, T. (2007). Intestinal microflora: probiotics and autoimmunity. The Journal of nutrition, 137(3 Suppl 2), 798S–802S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/137.3.798S
Berry, J. (2019, January 21). Essential amino acids: Definition, benefits, and foods. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324229
Moehn, S., Pencharz, P., Ball, R. (2012). Lessons Learned Regarding Symptoms of Tryptophan Deficiency and Excess from Animal Requirement Studies. The Journal of Nutrition, 142 (12), 2231S-2235S. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.112.159061.