GE Crops, Glyphosate, and the Deterioration of Health in the United States

This correlation study by Nancy Swanson and colleagues analyzed the relationship between the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) crops, the corresponding increase in glyphosate use, and the deterioration of multiple health metrics in the United States. Using USDA, EPA, and CDC data, the study plotted disease incidence trends alongside GE crop adoption rates from 1990 to 2012.

The analysis revealed remarkably strong correlations between the percentage of GE crops planted and the incidence of multiple diseases including diabetes, obesity, stroke, autism, kidney disease, cancers of the thyroid, liver, and bladder, and deaths from intestinal infection, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

While the authors emphasized that correlation does not prove causation, they argued that the biological plausibility of glyphosate causing these diseases (through known mechanisms including endocrine disruption, gut microbiome damage, and oxidative stress) combined with the strength of the correlations warranted urgent further investigation.

Key Findings

• •Strong correlations were found between GE crop adoption and rising rates of diabetes, obesity, autism, and multiple cancers.
• •Glyphosate application rates tracked almost perfectly with GE crop acreage.
• •U.S. health has measurably deteriorated since the mid-1990s when GE crops were introduced.
• •The correlation coefficients exceeded 0.95 for many disease-crop pairs.
• •Known biological mechanisms of glyphosate toxicity provide plausibility for these correlations being causal.

Methodology

Time-series correlation analysis using publicly available U.S. government datasets. GE crop adoption data from USDA NASS were plotted against disease incidence data from CDC WONDER, hospital discharge databases, and death certificate records. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for each crop-disease pair. Data spanned 1990-2012.

Why This Matters for Families

This study provides compelling evidence that the introduction of GMO crops — and the massive increase in glyphosate they enabled — may be a primary driver of the chronic disease epidemic in America. Families can protect themselves by choosing certified organic and non-GMO Project Verified foods to avoid both GMOs and the glyphosate residues that accompany them.