You don’t need a medical degree to know when something’s off in your gut.
Bloating. Fatigue. Brain fog. Skin flare-ups. Digestive weirdness that’s hard to explain, harder to treat, and often dismissed as “just stress.”
But what if part of the problem is something we’re told is perfectly safe — something sprayed on the very food we eat?
We’re talking about glyphosate. The active ingredient in Roundup. The chemical that’s been quietly disrupting not just weeds, but the trillions of microbes that keep our bodies running.
Isn’t Glyphosate Only Toxic to Plants? What the Science Says About Gut Bacteria
That’s what regulators say — but the science tells a different story. Glyphosate kills plants by targeting the shikimate pathway — a metabolic process found in plants and many bacteria. Human cells don’t use this pathway, which is why regulators once assumed it was harmless.
But here’s the catch: your gut microbiome does use it — and disrupting those microbes can disrupt everything else.
And when you mess with your microbes, you mess with… everything.
The Gut Microbiome: The Unsung Hero of Your Health
Inside your gut live trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi — many of them essential to human health. They’re not just there to break down food. They’re part of a complex system that supports:
- Immune function
- Nutrient absorption
- Mood regulation
- Inflammation control
- Hormone balance
- Detoxification pathways
When glyphosate enters your system — through food or water — it doesn’t just pass through harmlessly. It can throw this entire ecosystem into chaos.
What the Research Shows About Glyphosate’s Impact on the Gut Microbiome
Independent studies — the kind not funded by agrochemical giants — have found that glyphosate:
- Reduces beneficial gut bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium
- Allows opportunistic pathogens like Clostridium to take over
- Increases intestinal permeability (a.k.a. “leaky gut”)
- Interferes with enzyme activity and detoxification
- May play a role in metabolic disorders, autoimmune conditions, and even mood dysregulation
This isn’t theoretical. Traces of glyphosate have been found in:
- Breast milk (detected in some independent studies, though findings remain under debate)
- Urine samples
- Umbilical cord blood
- Popular cereals and plant-based foods
And still, the official line is: “It’s safe.”
But safe for who? And based on what?
Most of the studies regulators rely on are short-term, limited in scope, and not designed to detect subtle shifts in microbial diversity. They don’t test what happens when a child eats trace amounts every day for 15 years. Or what happens when glyphosate interacts with other chemicals in the body. Or how it affects someone with an already-compromised microbiome.
They certainly don’t account for the fact that the gut is the gateway to the rest of your health — physical, mental, and emotional.
Why Glyphosate’s Effects on the Gut Microbiome Are No Longer Fringe Science
In 2021, researchers warned that glyphosate could initiate a cascade of effects within the gut — impairing detox processes, disrupting hormone signals, and altering immune responses. Animal studies have linked glyphosate exposure to behavioral changes, gut inflammation, and reproductive issues.
And yet, here in New Zealand, the government is considering increasing the amount of glyphosate allowed to remain on our food.
What newer studies are finding
Then briefly summarise 3–4 key pieces:
- 2023 low-dose gut microbiota study – showed that glyphosate at doses around the US ADI significantly altered gut microbiota composition in animals, i.e. not just at massive, unrealistic doses. ScienceDirect
- 2024 systematic review on intestinal microbiota & glyphosate – concluded that glyphosate and its formulations can induce dysbiosis, alter bacterial metabolism, increase intestinal permeability and mucus disruption, and damage microvilli and the intestinal lumen. PubMed
- Microbiome-gut-brain axis review (pesticides broadly, including glyphosate) – discusses how pesticide-driven gut changes may contribute to behavioural and neurological effects, giving you a legit bridge to brain fog/mood shifts. Nature
- Older but important review on glyphosate & the gut microbiome – evaluated the literature and concluded food residues could cause dysbiosis because beneficial commensal bacteria are more sensitive to glyphosate than opportunistic pathogens. Frontiers
You don’t need long summaries – a couple of conversational paragraphs and a (short) bullet list will do.
The Real Question Isn’t Whether Glyphosate Is Safe — It’s What It’s Doing to Your Gut
It’s “Why are we still pretending this doesn’t matter?”
Because it’s not just about plants. It’s about people.
It’s about the invisible but essential network of microbes that keep you alive.
And it’s about a regulatory system that seems more concerned with protecting profit than public health.
Your Gut Deserves Better Than Glyphosate on Your Food
We oppose MPI’s proposal to raise glyphosate residue limits on food crops. If you care about your health, your gut, or your children’s future — now’s the time to say so.
Sign the petition.
Make a submission.
And start asking questions no one else is.
“It’s not just about plants. It’s about people”
– No More Glyphosate NZ
Resources and References
Still not convinced? Or maybe you are — and want to go deeper.
Either way, we’ve gathered a few key resources that show just how far the rabbit hole goes when it comes to glyphosate and gut health. These aren’t fringe studies — they’re peer-reviewed, independently conducted, and largely ignored by the regulators calling the shots.
Potential role of the intestinal microbiota in the toxicity of glyphosate
Environmental Pollution (2022)
A review examining how glyphosate influences microbial balance and contributes to disease.
Read the article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119847
Does Glyphosate Affect the Human Microbiota?
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022)
This study explores glyphosate’s potential impact on human gut microbiota and its broader health implications.
Read the article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9145961/
Glyphosate and its formulations Roundup Bioflow and RangerPro alter the caecum microbiome composition in rats
Frontiers in Microbiology (2022)
Research indicating that glyphosate and its commercial formulations can cause significant changes in gut microbiome composition.
Read the study: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.888853/full
Impact of glyphosate (Roundup™) on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome
Scientific Reports (2021)
An investigation into how glyphosate exposure affects the gut microbiome’s structure and function.
Read the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-82552-2
Glyphosate at Real-World Doses Alters Gut Microbiota (2023)
Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
This low-dose animal study found that glyphosate changed gut microbiota composition at exposure levels close to the U.S. Acceptable Daily Intake — meaning the effects weren’t limited to extremely high or unrealistic doses.
Read the study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1382668923000911
Systematic Review: Glyphosate, Dysbiosis & the Intestinal Barrier (2024)
Chemosphere
A broad 2024 review showing that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides can disrupt gut microbial balance, interfere with bacterial metabolism, damage microvilli, alter mucus production, and increase intestinal permeability — all hallmarks of a compromised gut barrier.
Read the review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38994673/
The science is out there — and it doesn’t support Bayer’s narrative.
Dig in, follow the threads, and decide for yourself whether this is really about weed control… or something much bigger.
Image Source & Attribution
Feature image licensed via Depositphotos. Credit to magicmine for the original work. Explore their full portfolio on depositphotos.com.
