Chemical toxicity: Should we be concerned?

Environmental chemical exposure has never been more pervasive with thousands of chemicals in use around the world.

A recent study done by the Environmental Working Group made worldwide headlines after finding residue of the herbicide glyphosate present in all but two of the 45 tested children's oat-based cereals.

While this study only tested U.S. products, in Australia it has raised discussion around how many chemicals are integrated into our food and water supply, and even the air we breathe.

Every day, we ingest small amounts of many chemicals and in many cases, our bodies cannot metabolise and clear all of them.

Chemicals that are not metabolised are stored in the fat cells throughout our bodies, where they continue to accumulate. As these chemicals build up they can alter our metabolism, cause enzyme dysfunction and nutritional deficiencies, create hormonal imbalances, damage brain chemistry and can cause cancer. Because the chemicals accumulate in different parts of the body at different rates and in different combinations there are many different chronic illnesses that can result.

At Vitawell, we pride ourselves for checking on toxicity such as the Glyphosate Test: Glyphosate is the world's most widely produced herbicide and is the primary toxic chemical in Roundup, as well as in more than 700 other products from agriculture and forestry to home use. Exposure to glyphosate has been linked to autism, Alzheimer's, anxiety, cancer, depression, fatigue, gluten sensitivity, inflammation, and Parkinson's.

Glyphosate is the world's most widely produced herbicide and is the primary toxic chemical in Roundup, as well as in many other herbicides.

In addition, it is a broad-spectrum herbicide that is used in more than 700 different products from agriculture and forestry to home use. Glyphosate was introduced in the 1970s to kill weeds by targeting the enzymes that produce the amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine.

This pathway (called the Shikimate Pathway) is also how bacteria, algae, and fungi produce the same amino acids.

This pathway is not present in humans, so manufacturers of glyphosate claim this compound is "non-toxic" to humans. However, evidence shows there are indeed human consequences to the widespread use of this product when we consume plants that have been treated with it and animals who've also consumed food treated with it.