By: Aeon Mapa
Over the past few articles we have highlighted the various benefits of organic produce. One of the benefits that we have mentioned repeatedly is that organic produce does not contain pesticide residue. This alone is one of the biggest reasons to choose organic produce. The effort your body takes to purge these substances is energy that could have been spent on bolstering your immune system. It has been shown that even in very minute amounts they have negative effects on your health. Long-term affects also occur as they accumulate in your tissues. . Pesticide residues have also been shown to hamper your immune system1 , as well as trigger, or make you more susceptible to various COVID comorbidities.
Take a look at this overview from www.beyondpesticides.com. Released in 2010, it details many of the possible illnesses and side effects that can come from pesticide exposure. Asthma, Diabetes, Cancer, Nerve Disorders, Immune System deficiencies and even Down’s Syndrome are among the COVID comorbidities2 that you can get from toxic pesticides. You can read the full PDF here.
Recent studies by two separate doctors have also shown that a particular pesticide called fludioxonil, inhibits your body’s production of glutathione, a key antioxidant in preventing the inflammation often associated with severe COVID symptoms. 3 These articles, posted discuss the ways that this pesticide interact with this important antioxidant. Dr. Tristan Brandhorst, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, had this to say about it on in this article. Read Online Download PDF :
“However, although the agency considers a wide range of potential human health risks from pesticides, it’s not required to assess glutathione depletion from a pesticide, Brandhorst said. “It doesn’t kill you,” he said. “Just having it lowered makes you weak.” ”
Dr. Joseph Pizzorno also speaks about the benefit of eating organic food to help raise glutathione levels in this article. Read Online
“the best way to keep optimal glutathione levels, and a robust natural defense, is to eat organic produce, and make healthy lifestyle choices. “There’s going to be another pandemic in a few years, and another pandemic after that,” said Pizzorno”
Some locally available foods that are rich in Glutathione are Avocadoes and Okra. Do ensure that you get them from organic sources.
Both articles cited the work of Dr. Alexey Polonikov, who established the link between glutathione and COVID severityexplain. 4
These articles and studies provide strong evidence that the pesticide residues on conventional produce can reduce your immune system’s efficiency, make your more prone to comorbidities and also deplete glutathione, which is crucial in protecting the body against the virus’ more severe effects. Given this understanding, it is crucial that we consume organic produce, which ensures that we are free from the harmful effects of pesticides in our food.
Footnotes
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1532045620300892
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7402141/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7263077/