Oddbean new post about | logout
 Glyphosate is probably the third most studied compound on the planet (after dioxin and bisphenol A). It breaks down fairly rapidly and seems to have no effect at consumer doses, but it likely messes up the gut microbiota of the food animals most GMO crops are fed to. Late season application before the harvest could be a concern, but from what I understand, this is not a ubiquitous practice as it increases costs.

Scientific bodies around the world have studied it thoroughly and are nearly unanimous in saying there's very little risk of harm. Inb4 “fiat ScIeNcE!!1!”

As to the EU, most of the policies that ban glyphosate are not based in science. They're usually protectionist in nature. And since when do bitcoiners advocate for more regulation and more government intervention? The free market solution would be for consumers to boycott the products they don’t want to consume, and if it’s a large enough amount to matter, companies and farmers will bend the knee to comply. 
 I never said anything about advocacy of regulations in this context.

The idea that glyphosates are perfectly safe is comical. Let's see what the literature has to say:

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1382668923000911#:~:text=Recent%20studies%20have%20suggested%20that,kg%20body%20weight)%20is%20limited.

"In the present study, we found that glyphosates exposure... can alter gut microbiota composition and modulate the neuro-immune-endocrine system resulting in a pro-inflammatory environment"

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014765132400040X#bib96

"According to preclinical and clinical studies covered in the present review, poisoning with GLP, GLP-SH, and GBHs devastatingly affects gut microbiota and the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis, leading to dysbiosis and gastrointestinal (GI) ailments, as well as immunosuppression and inappropriate immunostimulation, cholinergic neurotransmission dysregulation, neuroendocrinal system disarray, and neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral alterations."

3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383574218300887

"We investigated whether there was an association between high cumulative exposures to GBHs and increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in humans. We conducted a new meta-analysis that includes the most recent update of the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort published in 2018 along with five case-control studies. Using the highest exposure groups when available in each study, we report the overall meta-relative risk (meta-RR) of NHL in GBH-exposed individuals was increased by 41% (meta-RR = 1.41, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.13–1.75)."

4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161813X19300816

"Consequently, researchers have suggested that Gly can cause dysbiosis, a phenomenon which is characterised by an imbalance between beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. The overgrowth of bacteria such as clostridia generates high levels of noxious metabolites in the brain, which can contribute to the development of neurological deviations."

5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9145961/

"However, increasing numbers of studies have demonstrated risks to humans and animals because the shikimate metabolic pathway is present in many microbes. Here, we assess the potential effect of glyphosate on healthy human microbiota. Our results demonstrate that more than one-half of human microbiome are intrinsically sensitive to glyphosate."

There are also links to non-alcoholic fatty liver, metabolic dysfunction and kidney disease.

There is nothing unanimous about your claims.

Many foods and chemicals disrupt the gut and leads to issues downstream. Anecdotally, I had pretty strong gut discomfort from consuming oats. Whether or not that is linked to gly may be unrelated, but many people report the same issues with oats and it's why I don't consume them. 
 Thanks for the thoughtful response! I have a lot more reading to do.