Massive Pesticide Exposure Inflating Global Obesity Crisis

Among the toxic substances that you are exposed to on a daily basis, pesticides are one of the most ubiquitous. Second only to genetically modified ingredients, pesticides inhabit the majority of conventional produce and have been repeatedly found to wreak havoc on your body. New findings have pinpointed growing exposure to pesticides as a contributor to the obesity crisis that is currently sweeping the globe. What’s more is that the study reached these conclusions when studying one of the most commonly used pesticides in the world.

In a study conducted by the Mercer University School of Medicine, researchers examined whether pesticide exposure played a role in worldwide childhood obesity. It is interesting to note that the researchers chose to focus on childhood obesity, as pesticides are damaging to both children and adults. During the study process, the researchers observed nearly 6,800 subjects aged 6 to 19. Individual exposure to environmental pesticides was determined through the use of urine tests, identifying the concentrations of pesticide residues.

What the researchers found is a higher prevalence of obesity in the participants with high urinary concentrations of a pesticide known as 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP). It is important to note that 2,5-DCP is one of the most widely used pesticides on the globe.

Avoiding Pesticides | The GMO Pesticide Trap

While pesticides are quite prevalent among the food supply, it is very possible to avoid the large majority of pesticides lurking in your diet. Perhaps the largest pesticide trap has to do with genetically modified foods (GMOs). Touted by Monsanto as requiring less pesticides, GMO crops actually require significantly more pesticides! This means that the GMOs you may be unknowingly consuming are actually loaded up with obesity-causing pesticides, as if the GMOs themselves weren’t damaging enough to your health. As you probably know, a review of 19 studies announced that consumption of GMO corn or soybeans may lead to significant organ disruptions in rats and mice – particularly in the liver and kidneys.

The good news is that it is entirely possible to avoid both GMOs and pesticides.

In fact, pesticides cannot be used on truly organic crops. Additionally, 100% organic products and produce items are free of GMOs. You should be careful when searching outside of the 100% organic label, however, as even products labeled as all natural and ‘GMO-free’ may still contain GMOs. The truth of the matter is that ‘all natural’ virtually means nothing. Buy 100% organic, and from a local source to avoid both obesity-breeding pesticide exposure as well as health-trashing GMOs.