New Study Finds Main Ingredient in Roundup® Linked to Liver Disease

First-of-its-kind study finds association between glyphosate and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in humans

SAN DIEGO, CALIF., USA, May 24, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a first-of-its kind study out of the University of California, San Diego, researchers find glyphosate—the main ingredient in the popular weedkiller Roundup—is associated with fatty liver disease in humans. Past research has shown the powerful chemical is linked to liver disease in animal studies, but this study is the first to find a link in humans.

The study, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology in April 2019, was conducted by researchers in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UCSD’s School of Medicine. The team examined glyphosate in the urine samples of two different groups of patients, those with a diagnosis of a certain type of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and those without. Their results were significant, says an article published by UCSD, and showed that regardless of a patient’s age, race, ethnicity, body mass index, or diabetes status, glyphosate residue was significantly higher in those with fatty liver disease than those with healthier livers.

Lead researcher Dr. Paul J. Mills, professor and chief in the Department of Family Medicine, says this study coupled with previous animal studies suggest a link between the use of commercial glyphosate in our food supply and the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to the article.

Roundup has been used by farmers around the world to kill weeds without harming their crops, which are genetically modified to withstand the effects of glyphosate. Roundup has been used by home gardeners since the 1970s, but its use grew significantly in the late 1990s after Roundup Ready seeds were introduced to the market.

Since 1996, America’s farmers have been spraying their fields with glyphosate and its use has been steadily increasing. The prevalence of fatty liver disease has also been on the rise in the last two decades, says Mills.

“There have been a handful of studies, all of which we cited in our paper, where animals either were or weren’t fed Roundup or glyphosate directly, and they all point to the same thing: the development of liver pathology,” Mills told UCSD. “So I naturally thought: ‘Well, could it be exposure to this same herbicide that is driving liver disease in the U.S.?’”

Mills is now reportedly planning to study patients eating an all-organic diet to see how an herbicide-free diet impacts biomarkers of liver disease.

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the United States, and studies have found it lingering in our food supply even after the crops have been harvested and processed. Glyphosate has been found in beloved breakfast cereals like Cheerios, as well as in our water supplies.

In addition to liver disease, Roundup has also been linked to certain cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There are now thousands of lawsuits pending in courts across the US accusing Roundup manufacturer Monsanto and its new parent company Bayer of failing to warn about the risks of glyphosate. Several of those lawsuits have already gone to trial, with juries handing down multi-million and billion-dollar verdicts against Bayer and Monsanto.

We’ve helped 1,800 Roundup claimants and counting in their fight against Bayer and Monsanto, including co-counsel relations with leading law firms. Contact us today to learn how Schmidt National Law Group can help you.

Melissa Beltz
Schmidt National Law Group
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