Studies cited in recent analyses suggest glyphosate may disrupt beneficial gut bacteria, weaken the intestinal barrier and affect offspring through prenatal exposure.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and the world’s most widely used herbicide, is drawing renewed scrutiny from researchers who say the chemical may disrupt the gut microbiome, damage the intestinal barrier and produce effects that extend across generations.
Regulatory and industry data identify glyphosate as the most widely used herbicide globally. Beyond Pesticides, a nonprofit watchdog organization, estimates that 300 million pounds of glyphosate are applied each year to U.S. crops, according to NaturalNews.com. A recent analysis also found that roughly 90% of soy, corn, beets and canola grown in the United States are produced with glyphosate-resistant crops, allowing the herbicide to be sprayed directly on agricultural fields where food is grown.
A growing body of research has examined glyphosate’s potential antimicrobial effects, particularly its impact on beneficial bacteria in the human gut. Researchers have said the chemical works by blocking a biochemical pathway in plants, but that same pathway is also present in many gut bacteria that help regulate digestion, immunity and intestinal health.
“Glyphosate, an antimicrobial chemical used in agriculture, also destroys soil and plant microbes before affecting animals and humans directly or through food consumption,” according to a Mercola.com report evaluating the microbiome’s role in immune health.
Glyphosate kills weeds by interfering with the shikimate pathway, a process plants use to produce certain essential amino acids. Stephanie Seneff’s book “Toxic Legacy” states that glyphosate targets the enzyme EPSPS, which is not used by human cells but is present in many species of gut bacteria. That distinction has become central to concerns that glyphosate may spare human cells directly while altering microbial communities that humans depend on for digestion, immune function and gut barrier health.
In 2010, Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, received a patent for glyphosate as an antimicrobial agent, according to NaturalNews.com. The patent, first filed in 2003, described the compound as a “parasitic control-type antimicrobial agent.” The classification has drawn attention because antimicrobials can affect both harmful organisms and beneficial bacteria.
Animal studies have added to those concerns. A mouse study involving low-dose glyphosate exposure over 90 days found notable changes in gut bacteria, according to a report on BrightVideos.com. Beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium and butyrate-producing species, were reduced, while bacteria associated with gut dysbiosis and inflammation increased.
The same report said glyphosate “disrupts the gut microbiome by killing beneficial bacteria, leading to leaky gut syndrome,” and stated that low-dose disruption may increase risks tied to autoimmune disorders and endocrine disruption.
A systematic review published in the journal Food & Function, which evaluated studies across multiple animal models, concluded that glyphosate can increase gut permeability, damage the intestinal wall and disrupt the mucus layer that protects the gut lining. Seneff’s “Toxic Legacy” also cites animal research involving rodents and livestock that links glyphosate exposure to intestinal inflammation and impaired gut barrier function.
Research on prenatal exposure has raised additional questions about whether glyphosate’s effects may carry into later generations. Findings described in “The Glyphosate Deception” said mice exposed prenatally showed disruptions in metabolic, immune and behavioral markers that persisted into the second generation of offspring.
The study, published through ScienceDirect, examined doses as low as 0.01 mg/kg/day, described as more than 100 times below the EPA’s acceptable daily intake. Researchers reported goblet cell depletion, reduced mucin-2 expression and lower levels of Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium associated with gut barrier integrity.
Other mouse model research discussed by GreenMedInfo.com found that offspring of exposed mouse dams had a 45-fold increase in serum levels of 4-ethylphenyl sulfate, or 4EPS, a metabolite linked in the report to autistic-like behaviors. Probiotic treatment using Bacteroides fragilis was shown to ease some symptoms, suggesting that the gut microbiome may play a role in mediating neurological effects tied to early-life glyphosate exposure.
The gut microbiome communicates with the brain through the gut-brain axis, a two-way signaling system that influences mood, cognition and neurological health. Beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are classified by researchers as psychobiotics when present in sufficient quantities because of their potential effects on mood and cognition. Those species are also described in multiple sources as sensitive to glyphosate.
An interview with brain chemistry expert Sean Cohen also raised concerns about neurological pathways, noting that “the entire category of organophosphate herbicides and pesticides acts as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.” Those enzymes are important to neurotransmitter function, making the finding part of a broader discussion over whether glyphosate exposure may be linked to neurological disruption.
Researchers said more investigation is needed into glyphosate’s possible effects on neurological health, particularly given reported behavioral deficits and signs of enteric neuroinflammation in animal models.
The issue has also drawn legal and regulatory attention. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation in June 2026 into glyphosate contamination in food products from major manufacturers, including Bayer and PepsiCo. Paxton cited the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s 2015 classification of glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, along with “extensive human and animal research.”
The investigation will examine whether manufacturers misled consumers about glyphosate levels in food products and whether they violated Texas consumer protection laws, according to Paxton’s office.
The expanding research record has intensified debate over the long-term effects of glyphosate exposure, particularly because of its widespread use in food production. Studies cited in recent analyses point to possible effects on gut bacteria, intestinal barrier function, immune health, neurological markers and offspring outcomes, keeping the herbicide at the center of public health and food safety concerns.
Source: Natural News
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