A new study by the University of Michigan suggests that exposure to glyphosate and AMPA significantly increases the risk for preterm births.

The study was published in Environmental Health Perspective and found that the presence of glyphosate in women’s urine later in pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of premature birth. Infants born prematurely are at a greater risk for long-term health problems.

Researchers measured glyphosate and AMPA levels by testing urine. The chemicals are not metabolized by mammals. They tested 247 pregnant women between 16-20 weeks and 24-28 weeks.

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Looking at preterm births (babies born at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy) and comparing them to controls, the research team found that the odds of preterm birth were significantly elevated among women with higher urinary concentrations of glyphosate and AMPA at the third visit, while associations with levels at the first visit were largely null or inconsistent.

Glyphosate herbicide exposure linked to preterm births

With all the other health problems caused and exasperated by glyphosate it’s no surprise that it negatively affects pregnant women as well.

New research shows that the application of three of the most common herbicides used on GM herbicide-tolerant crops (glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba) increases antibiotic-resistant genes in the microbiomes of the soil.

Similar to plants, the soil bacteria are becoming resistant to weedkillers. Additionally, bugs that are most resistant to pesticides were found to have a genetic mutation that made them resistant to antibiotics.

Dr. Jack Heinemann, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Canterbury has published two papers that suggest herbicides are “accelerants when it comes to the evolution of antibiotic resistance”. His research is supported by recent findings from the University of York and Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in China.

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When plants are sprayed, though, plenty of weed-killer gets into the soil – where there is an array of bacteria vital for healthy soil ecology. This is where a funny thing happens. Soil bacteria, like plants, are becoming resistant to weed-killer – and the bugs that are most resistant were found to carry a genetic mutation that also makes them resistant to antibiotics

Weedkillers are accelerating the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet may lower your risk for dementia by interfering with the build-up of amyloid, and tau. These are proteins that turn into plaques and tangles often resulting in Alzheimer’s disease.

The true diet is simple, plant-based cooking, with the majority of each meal focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds, with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra-virgin olive oil. Fats other than olive oil, such as butter, are consumed rarely, if at all. And say goodbye to refined sugar or flour.

Mediterranean diet may prevent memory loss and dementia, study finds

Researchers found that for every point of higher compliance with the diet participants had one less year of brain aging. The study was published in Neurology, and examined 343 people who were at high risk for Alzheimer’s and then compared them to 169 “cognitively normal” participants.

Researchers tested cognitive skills, (language, memory, and executive function), used brain scans to measure brain volume, and tested spinal fluid from 226 people for amyloid an tau protein biomarkers.

Participants were then asked how well they were following the diet and found that those who did not follow the diet closely had more signs of amyloid and tau buildup than those who did.

This study is not the first of its kind. A previous study of nearly 6,000 older Americans showed that those who followed the Mediterranean diet or similar lowered their risk of dementia by a third.

The Mediterranean diet is one that closely follows OLM’s own recommended diet. With staples of whole grains and legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and no flour or refined sugar those who follow the Mediterranean diet are going to be much better off than those who follow a traditional western diet.

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As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise many people are looking for an easy one-size-fits-all solution to our climate problem. One of the trendiest options is going vegan. Over recent years people have raised questions about the impact of eating massive amounts of meat and suggested that everyone going vegan could solve our climate crisis.

So, what’s the real environmental impact of our meat, and can going vegan really save the environment?

Many are concerned about the amount of water and food it takes to produce a pound of beef, but the reality is a typical cow’s water footprint is 94% green water. This means that 94% of a cow’s water footprint is just rainwater, and of course, once that water is used it’s not gone forever. It’s urinated out and cycled back into the environment. In fact, almonds end up using less green water than beef.

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Additionally, many are worried about the amount of food it takes to produce a pound of beef. Couldn’t we be feeding more people with all that food? More than 85% of livestock feed is non-human edible, and in the end, 4.3 billion kilograms of non-human edible food gets fed to livestock.

In a recent “What I’ve Learned” video the narrator goes into many of the common problems with the carbon footprint of our meat and why it’s actually more nuanced than you might think.

At the end of the day, the government and big businesses need to be held responsible for their role in destroying the environment. The role of fixing the environment does not fall on the individual consumer, but rather, the producer. If you’re curious about how eating sustainable agriculture stacks up against going vegan check out this article.

In the new beyond meat national ad for the “We Are Meat” campaign advertisers say “You’ll find this meat wherever you buy meat”. The impossible burger is made from soy protein, coconut oil, and other plant-based ingredients and it’s one of the best imitation meat substitutes on the market, according to consumers.

Of course, it’s not real meat. So, should advertisers really refer to it as such? When asked if the company felt that the Impossible Burger qualified as meat, Rachel Konrad, chief communications officer said “Yes we do. Anatomically, molecule for molecule our product and our product uniquely has the secret sauce of what makes meat, meat.”

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It’s a compelling argument. If a food looks just like meat at the molecular level—a claim The Counter can’t independently confirm, by the way—can’t it simply be called “meat,” regardless of its origin?

In a new ad campaign, Impossible Foods calls its plant-based burger “meat.” Can it do that?

This is in reference to soy leghemoglobin, the company’s soy-based hemoglobin, which makes blood red, giving the Impossible’s ground beef the ability to “bleed” like real meat.

The FTC says in their “Deception Statement” that a product can be deceptive if it contains a “material omission or misrepresentation” that may mislead consumers “to their detriment”. There are currently no FDA regulations for plant-based meat advertising language.

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A new peer-reviewed scientific paper concludes that glyphosate-based herbicides do not contribute to sustainable agriculture, and in fact harm human and animal health, soil, and biodiversity.

This contradicts the narrative that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides are good for the environment because they allow farmers to avoid plowing, consequently conserving soil.

The paper explores whether glyphosate-based herbicides are sustainable by examining their effects in the areas of human health, no-till agriculture, soil quality, aquatic creatures, and beneficial non-target species

It occurred to me that most of the emphasis was being placed on whether glyphosate caused human cancer and not on its impacts on the environment. That’s when I thought that if glyphosate was ever to be compatible with sustainable agriculture, it would have to have benign effects on the quality of the soil, non-target species, and mammalian cells. Pro-glyphosate supporters emphasised its value for protecting topsoil in no-till agriculture. That is what got me to investigate the science of glyphosate-based herbicides in their system-wide effects.

Glyphosate-based herbicides do not contribute to sustainable agriculture

The study is not the first of its kind, as many are now aware of the problems with glyphosate. To learn more about the effects of glyphosate both on your health and the environment, check out this article.

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A new study conducted by UC Riverside suggests that exercise and healthy diet in childhood lead to adults with bigger brains and less anxiety. The study aimed to examine the long term benefits of a healthy diet and exercise as the two are usually examined separately, or short term.

Researchers divided young mice into four groups, those with access to exercise, those without, and those with a standard healthy diet, and those with a standard western diet.

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Mice were put on their assigned diet as soon as they were done weaning and stayed on the same diet for three weeks until sexual maturity. The mice then went through an additional eight weeks of “washout” where they were kept with out wheels on the standard healthy diet. Researchers then measured aerobic capacity, did behavioral analysis, and testes different levels of hormones.

Previously, the research team found that eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter the microbiome for life, even if they later eat healthier. Going forward, the team plans to investigate whether fat or sugar is more responsible for the negative effects they measured in Western-diet-fed mice.

Childhood diet and exercise creates healthier, less anxious adults

Researchers concluded that early life exercise resulted in less anxious behaviors in adult mice and led to increases in adult muscle and brain mass. When fed standard western-style diets the mice became fatter and grew into adults with a preference for unhealthy foods.