New Research: Common Pesticides Contribute to Obesity and Insulin-resistance thru Gut

[iwakar]

Organophosphorus pesticide chlorpyrifos intake promotes obesity and insulin resistance through impacting gut and gut microbiota

"Background
Disruption of the gut microbiota homeostasis may induce low-grade inflammation leading to obesity-associated diseases. A major protective mechanism is to use the multi-layered mucus structures to keep a safe distance between gut epithelial cells and microbiota. To investigate whether pesticides would induce insulin resistance/obesity through interfering with mucus-bacterial interactions, we conducted a study to determine how long-term exposure to chlorpyrifos affected C57Bl/6 and CD-1 (ICR) mice fed high- or normal-fat diets. To further investigate the effects of chlorpyrifos-altered microbiota, antibiotic treatment and microbiota transplantation experiments were conducted.


Results
The results showed that chlorpyrifos caused broken integrity of the gut barrier, leading to increased lipopolysaccharide entry into the body and finally low-grade inflammation, while genetic background and diet pattern have limited influence on the chlorpyrifos-induced results. Moreover, the mice given chlorpyrifos-altered microbiota had gained more fat and lower insulin sensitivity.


Conclusions
Our results suggest that widespread use of pesticides may contribute to the worldwide epidemic of inflammation-related diseases."

[rav3n]

This is seriously interesting. Hope they continue research into this finding since this study needs to be replicated, including and especially in humans.

Chlorpyrifos has also been linked to lower IQ, developmental problems in children, autoimmune disorders and deaths in adults.

[cascadeco]

This is seriously interesting. Hope they continue research into this finding since this study needs to be replicated, including and especially in humans.

Chlorpyrifos has also been linked to lower IQ, developmental problems in children, autoimmune disorders and deaths in adults.

Agreed. I suspect more of this will be discovered in upcoming years/decades.

[rav3n]

Agreed. I suspect more of this will be discovered in upcoming years/decades.

This article might be of interest to you. Notice how it mentions corn and soy bean? Unrelated to the article, corn and soybean are commonly used to feed cattle so it also enters the food supply via protein and dairy products.

The Most Widely Used Pesticide, One Year Later - Science in the News

[cascadeco]

This article might be of interest to you. Notice how it mentions corn and soy bean? Unrelated to the article, corn and soybean are commonly used to feed cattle so it also enters the food supply via protein and dairy products.

The Most Widely Used Pesticide, One Year Later - Science in the News

I will read it shortly; thanks.

I was raised eating a lot of beef and having milk everyday, though thankfully I don't have issues with either right now. However, just due to my own personal diet preferences these days, I probably only cook something with beef maybe twice a month at most (usually only once a month now...), and I no longer drink milk (not that I'm opposed to it - I just have lots of water instead).

Wheat (at least in the states) is now a problem for me, and I've been wondering about it being more about pesticides, possibly, vs the wheat itself. I wonder if in another 10 years we'll have a huge influx in soy intolerance....

[rav3n]

I will read it shortly; thanks.

I was raised eating a lot of beef and having milk everyday, though thankfully I don't have issues with either right now. However, just due to my own personal diet preferences these days, I probably only cook something with beef maybe twice a month at most (usually only once a month now...), and I no longer drink milk (not that I'm opposed to it - I just have lots of water instead).

Wheat (at least in the states) is now a problem for me, and I've been wondering about it being more about pesticides, possibly, vs the wheat itself. I wonder if in another 10 years we'll have a huge influx in soy intolerance....

Yeah, it's sprayed en masse onto wheat too, albeit not mentioned in the article.

The bolded wouldn't surprise me which would be unfortunate, particularly for vegans and vegetarians.

Frankly, even though I'm consuming primarily organic products, it's gotten to the point where everything that can be peeled, is peeled prior to consumption including apples which is sad, considering the loss of fiber and nutrients.

[rav3n]

Before I forget, chlorpyrifos is used as a pesticide in peanut farming.

[ceecee]

I will read it shortly; thanks.

I was raised eating a lot of beef and having milk everyday, though thankfully I don't have issues with either right now. However, just due to my own personal diet preferences these days, I probably only cook something with beef maybe twice a month at most (usually only once a month now...), and I no longer drink milk (not that I'm opposed to it - I just have lots of water instead).

Yeah same for me on the milk and beef as been organic, no antibiotic and limited for the past few years. But I'm <this close> to giving up meat due to the almost backward US farming and food safety practices. At this point my own organic garden is becoming less of a hobby and more of a necessity but that's a luxury, I know.

Wheat (at least in the states) is now a problem for me, and I've been wondering about it being more about pesticides, possibly, vs the wheat itself. I wonder if in another 10 years we'll have a huge influx in soy intolerance....

I wonder that too.

[21%]

I'm not surprised and I really hope people with power and money won't try to simply sweep this under the rug.

[iwakar]

What's also disturbing is how long we've all been exposed to it. This pesticide is old, not new, and has been in widespread use since the 19th century.

As someone who has struggled with her weight for years, and recently discovered I have gastritis (intestinal inflammation) and chronically low levels of common gut flora despite usage of OTC probiotics (been doing gut biota testing for months with Ubiome) this really seized my attention.