A new study shows a link between histamine intolerance, GMO foods, and Roundup® sprayed foods.
The study looked at non-genetically modified (GMO) maize, GMO maize not sprayed with any herbicide, and GMO maize sprayed with Roundup®. Roundup® was applied only once, before the development of the maize cobs, so the study looked at the effects, even in the absence of herbicide residues.
The findings have significant implications for anyone suffering from histamine intolerance.
The GMO Controversy
Genetic modification of maize involves inserting bacteria that cause a pesticide to be produced in every plant cell. When pests attempt to eat the plant, they are killed. Simplistically, it makes growing crops more efficient.
Food safety rules require that genetically modified crops have “substantial equivalence” to the original crop. This vague term is usually interpreted as a similar amount of macronutrients (such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates). Based on research conducted by the developer, GMO maize was considered “substantially equivalent” to maize and was approved for animal and human consumption.
Some studies have shown that GMO maize affects; gut, immune, liver, and kidney function in animal studies.
The Glyphosate Controversy
Glyphosate is the most-used herbicide and harvest-drying agent used worldwide.
Glyphosate is used on:
Genetically modified corn, soy, canola, sugar beets, cotton, tobacco, and alfalfa are engineered to resist glyphosate.
Then crops sprayed before harvesting are wheat, oats, barley, rye, sugarcane, beans, lentils, peas, flax, sunflowers, pulses, and chickpeas.
Glyphosate is widely available and actively used in bushland, garden, and golf-course settings.
Glyphosate is also water-soluble, which means it is almost certainly finding its way into our waterways.
Glyphosate Health Effects
The foremost researcher on the effects of glyphosate on health is Stephanie Seneff.
Some of the health effects of glyphosate include:
Glyphosate was initially developed as an anti-microbial, destroying our healthy gut microbes and fostering the growth of pathogens, including c. difficile. Changes in the gut microbiome can have implications for an imbalance in the microbiome and lead to an overgrowth of histamine producing bacteria.
It inhibits the shikimate pathway in our microbiome that synthesizes tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine, needed for neurotransmitters.
It replaces glycine in the shikimate pathway. Glycine is an amino acid extensively used in the body’s essential functions.
It severely suppresses the liver’s phase 1 (cytochrome P450) and phase 2 (the sulfation pathway), impairing detoxification.
It is also a chelating agent that renders microminerals in our soil and food non-absorbable. It accumulates in the bones and impairs the kidneys in the place of micro-minerals.
It works as a shuttling agent for aluminum in the food and transports it straight into the brain (where we don’t want heavy metals).
The negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body. In March 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked glyphosate as a Group 2a carcinogen, a substance that “probably causes cancer” in people. In June 2020, Bayer, the maker of Roundup®, reportedly paid $10 Billion to settle non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer suits.
In the intervening time, between 2015 and 2020, I noticed an increasing number of clients having a high glyphosate level in their system. This has been especially so after the catastrophic floods in Australia, where I highly suspect farmers were forced to spray to have a viable crop.
Not Substantially Equivalent
The results of the current study were that the GMO maize and the Roundup® sprayed maize were not substantially equivalent to maize.
Specifically, the number of proteins and metabolites differed significantly between the three products: 91 proteins and 117 metabolites were altered due to the genetic modification, and one protein and 31 metabolites were altered due to spraying with Roundup®.
Histamines
Unlike previous studies, the current study also looked at the micro-nutrients and found significant differences in a wide range of nutrients.
The most pronounced difference was in amines, including putrescine and cadaverine.
Putrescine and cadaverine increase the effects of histamine by competing with histamine for degradation.
They have also been implicated in the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines when consumed with nitrite in meat products.
These findings suggest that both GMO Maize and Roundup® sprayed maize will reduce the histamine threshold in individuals because of the higher amine content.
Conclusion
This current study clearly shows that GMO maize and glyphosate-sprayed maize have higher levels of amines and other nutritional differences.
If you are struggling with histamine intolerance, I believe it is better to try and avoid genetically modified foods and glyphosate sprayed foods until there is more research.
Easy ways to do this are to buy certified organic products, look for non-GMO labeled products, and avoid “at risk” products, including corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, papaya, sugar beets, and convenience foods. Many “gluten-free” products contain corn.
