Glyphosate Holds Potential to Induce Dysbiosis Associated Pathologies in Humans

Abstract

There is increasing evidence of a deep integration between microbes and human physiological function. With such extensive communication in both directions, it is arguable that a major disruption on either side would have substantial impact on the other. A number of modern diseases have been associated with shifts in the microbiome populations such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, acne vulgaris, etc. However, which initiates the other often remains unclear. From the standpoint of dysbiosis preceding the pathologies, it presents a route by which environmental exposures can indirectly impact human physiology. This idea pertains in particular to compounds like the herbicide glyphosate which is alleged to be non- toxic to human cells. Because this compound has been demonstrated to impact bacteria, it presents a whole other layer of consideration in regards to its potential to cause disease in humans. While studies have been done to assess impact of this compound on different microbial communities with mixed results, none seem to have examined impact on human microflora specifically. This thesis examines the association between the dysbiosis and human disease from the angle of disease occurring as an effect of the dysbiosis. Ultimately, the hypothesis is that glyphosate exposure is sufficient to induce many modern diseases via disruption of the microbiome as illustrated in Figure 1. Furthermore, included here are proposed future experiments to explore glyphosate’s potential to perturb the microbiome..