The Hidden Antibiotic in Our Food: How Glyphosate Disrupts the Microbiome and Threatens Our Health

The secret hiding in plain sight should be the title of this column. Americans have become the sickest population among the 38 wealthiest nations in the world, and we are now faced with an epidemic of colon cancer in young people. Colon cancer changed from rare in people under 45 to alarmingly prevalent in just the past 20 years.

A groundbreaking new study published in *Nature* has identified a toxin produced by certain strains of *E. coli*, which creates a telltale scar in DNA. Alarmingly, this microbial damage appears to occur in early childhood, sometimes before age 10, laying the groundwork for cancer decades later.

This new finding underscores what scientists and clinicians have long suspected: our gut bacteria, known as our microbiome, play a crucial role in lifelong health. Disrupt it early, and the consequences may be irreversible. What I find deeply puzzling and disturbing is that many scientists express concern about our microbiome driving this colon cancer surge and perhaps causing many of the other chronic illnesses in our sickly nation, but they appear uncertain as to what might be driving the unhealthy changes to our microbiome.

The evidence should be clear: WE ADDED AN ANTIBIOTIC TO OUR FOOD SUPPLY.

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), such as Roundup, were added to our diet 30 years ago. The health of Americans has also dramatically worsened in the same 30 years. We are the most obese and have more chronic diseases than any of these other wealthy nations. Healthcare spending has ballooned, soaring from $714 billion in 1990 to a projected $5 trillion in 2024. Ultra-processed foods made in factories are increasingly blamed for significantly impacting our surging ill-health. That blame is placed correctly, but does not tell the whole story.

GBHs are now the most widely used herbicides in history. They are sprayed on genetically modified “Roundup Ready” crops like corn, soy, sugar beets, and canola, and on non-GMO crops like wheat, oats, and legumes to kill and dry them just before harvest. These practices have made glyphosate pervasive in our food, particularly our ultra-processed foods, and ubiquitous in our bodies.

Scientists have shown that glyphosate can damage DNA, cause inflammation, and generate oxidative stress, a process linked to aging, cancer, and chronic diseases. The column below describes yet another mechanism for the toxicity of GBHs.

Glyphosate Is an Antibiotic and Is Harming Our Microbiomes
Glyphosate was first patented as an herbicide in 1974 and further patented as an antimalarial drug in 2010. In the 2010 patent application, Monsanto described the antibiotic properties. They stated, “All organisms that contain the enzyme EPSPS should be susceptible to the treatment...” They listed over 150 bacterial and fungal species “susceptible” to glyphosate-based formulations.

The trillions of bacteria in our GI tract are known as the GI microbiome. Healthy microbiomes have diverse bacteria living in proper ratios. Disrupting microbiomes, a condition called dysbiosis, has been linked to an astonishing range of illnesses, from diabetes and obesity to cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, depression, and inflammatory bowel disease.

A 2023 review stated that over half of the tested human gut bacterial species were vulnerable to glyphosate. Beneficial microbes are especially sensitive, while more dangerous bacteria appear to thrive. GBHs are not just killing weeds; they are upsetting the microbial balance inside our bodies.

In the past several years, studies have increasingly shown profound dysbiosis caused by GBHs and resulting pathologies in the species studied. GBHs cause dysbiosis in rats, mice, fish, and other species. Two review articles published in 2024 described the many studies demonstrating GBHs' effects on multiple lifeforms, including humans. One review listed studies showing GBHs’ impact on intestinal bacteria, possibly leading to “intestinal and systemic diseases, such as Crohn's disease and Alzheimer's disease.” The other review concentrated on the extensive research demonstrating that the dysbiosis associated with GBHs has “effects on the immune system and neurological health.”

An Overlooked Driver of Antibiotic Resistance
There’s another dangerous consequence. Glyphosate generates antibiotic resistance.

In 2024, the CDC reported that increasing antibiotic-resistant infections are an “urgent global public health threat,” infecting 2.8 million Americans and killing 35,000 Americans every year.

Emerging studies now show that glyphosate exposure, even at low levels, promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among bacteria.

In bodies of water and agricultural soil, adding GBHs “significantly” increased ARGs and facilitated the transfer of ARGs from one bacterial species to another. GBHs have also markedly increased antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria.

Perhaps most frightening is that scientists have demonstrated the emergence of antibiotic-resistant fungi and bacteria in rural areas of India, China, and Africa. In these parts of the world, the use of antibiotics is minimal, but the use of GBHs is high. The scientists state that the evidence is compelling that GBHs promote this antibiotic resistance.

Our Regulatory Agencies Are Failing Us
Despite these risks, glyphosate is still regulated purely as an herbicide, not as an antibiotic. The EPA’s Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for glyphosate in the U.S. is 1.75 mg/kg/day, nearly three times higher than the European Union’s threshold. Worse, the U.S. ADI exceeds the effective dose cited in Monsanto’s 2010 patent application. Monsanto stated that 1mg/kg/day is an effective antimicrobial dosage.

We don’t tolerate antibiotic residues in meat. Why are we allowing it in bread, oatmeal, ultra-processed foods, and even infant formula?

What Needs to Happen Now
The science is clear enough to act. Glyphosate should be reclassified as an antibiotic. Its use on food crops must be tightly regulated.

Protecting the human microbiome is not a niche concern. It’s central to preventing chronic disease, safeguarding antibiotics, and rebuilding a healthier future.

I have used this column to concentrate on the antibiotic qualities of GBHs because the danger has been underreported and could provide a clear path to strictly regulating glyphosate in our food. I would be remiss, though, in not emphasizing that there are hundreds of studies in the scientific literature demonstrating the multiple ways GBHs are toxic.

Despite the large number of studies showing toxicity, our regulatory agencies have failed to regulate GBHs properly. I hope that even if the broader concerns about toxicity remain unresolved, we can agree on this: glyphosate is an antibiotic, and its effects on bacteria are real, measurable, and dangerous. GBHs disrupt the bacterial balance and promote antibiotic resistance. Their antibiotic properties alone should be enough to restrict their use on food crops. It’s time we called glyphosate what it is and regulated it accordingly.