(NaturalHealth365)  Plenty of things can help explain the rise in depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses in our country, and the fact is an estimated 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental health problems due to: social isolation and loneliness, chronic stress, trauma, financial hardship, and of course the pandemic (as well as the Draconian “mitigation” measures handed down by politicians and the three-letter agencies).

But a new study published in Environmental Research suggests that something else more ubiquitous and insidious could contribute to our nation’s mental health crisis: widespread exposure to “the most widely used herbicide globally,” glyphosate.

The toxic herbicide glyphosate linked to adverse neurological outcomes in adults, worrisome new study reveals

The study, entitled “Association between glyphosate exposure and cognitive function, depression, and neurological diseases in a representative sample of U.S. adults: NHANES 2013–2014 analysis,” was conducted by a group of Taiwanese researchers.

The researchers analyzed existing data collected from a representative sample of 1,532 American adults who were part of the 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is a “program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States,” according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Based on their analysis, the researchers drew some concerning conclusions and provided substantial evidence about the impact of glyphosate exposure:

• There is an association between urinary glyphosate levels and “adverse neurological outcomes” in adults
• Examples of adverse neurological outcomes included lower cognitive function scores and “greater odds of severe depressive symptoms”
• Individuals with high glyphosate exposure even had an “increased risk of serious hearing difficulty”

Given that prior research has pointed to the neurotoxic effects of glyphosate as well as an association between an increased incidence of neurobehavioral problems like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children of pesticide applicators, this new data sadly comes as little surprise.

Importantly, another study published last December in Environmental Research – which also used data from the NHANES program – determined that fully 81 percent of the U.S. population aged six years or older has detectable levels of glyphosate in their urine.  Interestingly, the researchers also found that study participants who had not eaten for at least 8 hours were found to have lower levels of urinary glyphosate – indicating that food consumption truly is an important source of exposure to the herbicide.

By taking the results of both these studies into context, it’s reasonable to conclude that the vast majority of our population is potentially affected by this herbicide – approximately 280 million pounds of it are used every year on American crops and farmland, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

More than 80 percent of U.S. population has glyphosate in their bodies.  Here are some simple strategies to reduce your family’s exposure

As we’ve said before, we’re not saying readers should become overly stressed out about their diet or that they must go all-organic even if their grocery budget doesn’t allow that.  On the other hand, we know that choosing to eat more organic foods can help reduce your glyphosate load and, thereby, may reduce your risk of negative health outcomes associated with long-term glyphosate exposure.

So, here are some strategies we want all readers to keep in mind:

• If you’re not in a place – financially or geographically – to purchase all organic foods, consider prioritizing your food dollars by opting for organic varieties of produce that are known to contain high levels of pesticides and herbicides when grown conventionally.  Known as the “Dirty Dozen,” these include blueberries, strawberries, spinach, apples, pears, and peaches.
• Don’t forget the frozen food aisle!  You can find great frozen organic produce that is often cheaper and just as nutritious as fresh produce.
• Wash your produce thoroughly.  Be aware that food safety experts often recommend waiting to wash until you’re ready to prepare and eat the produce since washing too soon may allow bacteria to grow on the fruits and veggies as they sit in the fridge.
• Plus, in terms of a simple (yet powerful) way to help detoxify the body … use a far infrared sauna.  So many people don’t sweat enough and sweating is an important detoxification pathway.  To learn more about the value of sauna therapy – watch Jonathan Landsman’s sauna presentation here.

Sources for this article include:

NAMI.org
EWG.org
CDC.gov
CDC.gov
Sciencedirect.com
Sciencedirect.com
Childrenshealthdefense.org
EPA.gov