What is Glysophate?
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, an herbicide used to control weeds in crops like corn and soy. When it comes to oats, many farmers use this as a spray to dry the plants out at harvest - a process called desiccation. This process can also increase the size and amounts of oats in a crop.
Unfortunately, the US imports the majority of its oats from countries where desiccating with Glyphosate is a common practice.
Is Glysophate Toxic?
While the EPA disagrees, the EWG is firm that there needs to be strict limits when it comes to Glyphosate exposure, specifically for children.
The research is divided, but there is some evidence that points towards concerns in:
decreased immunity (1)
increased Inflammation (1)
cell damage
potential cancer development (2)
hormone interference (3,4)
gut health disruptions (5)
Studies show that Glyphosate doesn’t appear to accumulate in the body overtime (6), which means that it likely would take large and repeated amounts to cause significant harm. But there just isn’t enough research at the moment to determine if frequent, low doses affect children’s development and overall health. On the side of caution, I would encourage Glysophate free oats, especially if it’s something a child (or adult) is eating pretty frequently.
How to Choose Glysophate Free/Low Oats
1. Find brands that are transparent in their rejection of farms that desiccate with Glyphosate (i.e Hampton Grocer; they will share copies of the Glysophate free confirmation letter from their suppliers).
2. Look for the Glyphosate Residue-Free certification logo. This means that the company has tested for glyphosate and have close to undetectable levels of glyphosate, usually at or below 0.01 parts per million.
3. Look for Purity Protocol oats. These are certified gluten-free, meaning they are never exposed to wheat or other gluten containing grains at any point during the production and manufacturing process. They are produced using methods that limit their exposure to glyphosate, and are tested to ensure levels are as low as possible.
4. Look for USDA Organic oats. These oats cannot have been sprayed with Glyphosate, however they may be nearby another crop or farm that’s sprayed and therefore contain low levels - but they must meet a significantly low threshold.
Sources:
1
Peillex, C., & Pelletier, M. (2020). The impact and toxicity of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides on health and immunity. Journal of Immunotoxicology, 17(1), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547691X.2020.1804492
2
Shurin MR. Cancer as an immune-mediated disease. Immunotargets Ther. 2012 Jun 13;1:1-6. doi: 10.2147/ITT.S29834. PMID: 27471681; PMCID: PMC4934149.
3
Ingaramo P, Alarcón R, Muñoz-de-Toro M, Luque EH. Are glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides endocrine disruptors that alter female fertility? Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2020 Dec 1;518:110934. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110934. Epub 2020 Jul 10. PMID: 32659439.
4
Maddalon A, Galbiati V, Colosio C, Mandić-Rajčević S, Corsini E. Glyphosate-based herbicides: Evidence of immune-endocrine alteration. Toxicology. 2021 Jul;459:152851. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2021.152851. Epub 2021 Jul 8. PMID: 34246717.
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