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Dr. Robin Mesnage is a Research Associate in the Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics at King's College in London. For more on the importance and implications of this research, see our FAQ and  guest blog by pediatrician and HHRA Science Advisory Board member Dr. Michelle Perro.

Archived HHRA News Posts
  • Eaters Deserve More Complete Information About Nutrition and Health Impacts on Food Labels  

    Multiple lines of evidence point to consumer food choices as major contributors to diet-related disease, and poor health and fitness. In a peer-reviewed journal article published today, authors Chuck Benbrook and Robin Mesnage cite studies indicating that “Some 90% of the estimated USD 4.3 trillion in annual health care costs in the US is triggered or made worse by poor food quality and diet-related disease.” Benbrook is the founder and former executive director of the Heartland Health Research Alliance (HHRA). The authors recommend novel metrics on both the nutrient density of food, and how to more accurately and usefully characterize the degree of food processing and its impacts on public health. The article is open access in the journal Foods and entitled “Enhanced Labeling to Promote Consumption of Nutrient Dense Foods and Healthier Diets.” The core nutrient density metric is a ratio: the percent of daily nutrient needs satisfied by a serving of food relative to the percent of a 2000 calorie daily diet taken up by the serving of food. This single metric is unmatched in comprehensively reflecting the nutritional quality of food. A graphic option to convey the metric on packaging is presented in Figure 3 in the new paper: A novel graphic is presented in Figure 5 to which integrates both the nutrient density and food processing metrics and graphics in a single graphic, shown below. The impacts of ultra-processed food (UPF) on public health outcomes is among the hottest topics in nutrition, medical, and public health journals, and media coverage on food quality and health outcomes. At the request of the journal, the authors developed a video abstract that explains the paper’s goals, methods, and key findings and recommendations. The authors conclude their paper with these observations: Transparent and accurate food product-specific ingredient and nutrient composition data should determine the content of nutrition health labeling. Efforts to soften the message should be resisted in light of the overwhelming need for new food labels that help bring about substantial improvements in food nutritional quality and dietary choices. Benbrook and Mesnage’s paper builds on public comments HHRA submitted in response to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rule in 2023 to update the definition of the term “healthy” on food labels. The proposed role would require foods labeled “healthy” to contain minimum amounts of foods recommended by USDA’s Dietary Guidelines, and to limit saturated fat, sodium, added sugar and other less healthy nutrients. Entitled “Food Labeling: Nutrient Content Claims; Definition of Term `Healthy’”, the comments recommended new  nutrition/health messaging on the front of food packaging. Co-authors of comments included the chair of HHRA’s Policy Advisory committee Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, HHRA science advisors, and other experts working on how changes in farming systems and technology can increase the nutritional quality of food: Dr. Hannah Flower, Dr. Donald R. Davis, Dr. David Montgomery and Anne Biklé. In the comments, the authors introduced “NuCal” as a name for their new system. Resources HHRA February 2023 comments to the FDA. Benbrook and Mesnage (2024). Enhanced Labeling to Promote Consumption of Nutrient Dense Foods and Healthier Diets, Foods. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213377 Video Abstract: “Enhanced Labeling to Promote Consumption of Nutrient Dense Foods and Healthier Diets”

  • HHRA Weighs in on Key Pesticide Issues Under Review by the National Organic Standards Board

    HHRA and ORG-Tracker, represented by Dr. Chuck Benbrook and Dr. Brian Baker, submitted comments to the Agricultural Marketing Service at the USDA in advance of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Portland, Oregon, from October 22nd to 24th, 2024. Drs. Benbrook and Baker will both attend the conference and deliver public comments. ORG-Tracker is a project carried out by HHRA. It aggregates pesticide residue data from inspections of organic farms carried out by certifiers. The tables generated by ORG-Tracker utilize the results of certifier testing to compare residue frequency and risk levels to food produced on conventional farms. The team is working to more effectively highlight gaps and challenges faced by certification agencies to answer questions like What crops should we be testing, and where? Is a pesticide residue found in an organic sample likely caused by accident, pesticide drift, or an intentional and illegal application? How can we modify organic programs to better mitigate risk? The comments delivered to the USDA discuss risk-based certification, pesticide residue testing, and policies impacting the incorporation of so-called inert ingredients in the biopesticides approved for use on organic farms. They argue for a more rigorous, comprehensive, and health-focused approach to risk oversight. Regarding residue testing, they advocate for more expansive and effective data aggregation to inform consumers and the organics community. Finally, for inert ingredients, they recommend further review of current policy, including increased transparency of ingredients in pesticide products. Thank you to Drs. Benbrook and Baker for your advocacy and hard work!   The three sets of comments are posted on HHRA’s website as part of our policy program: Comments to the NOSB on the Risk-Based Certification Discussion Document Under Consideration During the October 2024 Meeting in Portland, Oregon Written Comments on the NOSB Discussion Document “Residue Testing for the Global Supply Chain” Comments on the Inert Ingredients in Organic Pesticide Products Proposal dated August 13, 2024   Drs. Benbrook and Baker also submitted and presented comments at the Spring 2024 meeting of the NOSB, which are available on HHRA’s Policy and Regulatory Reform page.

  • Dr. Kimberly Yolton joins HHRA board

    Dr. Yolton is a developmental psychologist and epidemiologist serving as Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Her interests include exposures and experiences that may alter a child’s developmental trajectory from infancy through adolescence. She collaborates on research projects on typical child development as well as those focused on the impact of exposures to environmental toxicants, opiates and stress during early development.

  • Paul Hartnett, HHRA’s Executive Director

      Paul Hartnett has served as HHRA’s CFO since our founding . With the departure of Russell King, Paul has now joined the board and Executive Director. We thank Russell for his service and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

  • Heartland Study Enrolls 1,000th Mother-Infant Pair

    July 19, 2024 – In June of this year, the Heartland Study achieved a major milestone, enrolling its 1,000th mother-infant pair. Enrollment is now at 50% of goal. The objective of the Study is to help fill major gaps in our understanding of the impacts of herbicides on maternal and infant health. Currently in Phase 1, the Study is focused on evaluating associations between herbicide concentrations in body fluids and tissue samples from pregnant women and infants, and pregnancy/childbirth outcomes. Phase 2 is designed to evaluate potential associations between herbicide biomarkers and early childhood neurological development. Much appreciation for the mothers enrolled, and the entire Heartland Study Team including scientists, support staff and clinicians for this tremendous achievement, and for our funders to making this work possible. Read more about the study including peer-reviewed studies published in Chemosphere and Agrichemicals at our publications  page. The investment required to conduct this study exceeds $1 million each year. You can support this important work by making a donation here.

Archived Blog Posts
  • Eaters Deserve More Complete Information About Nutrition and Health Impacts on Food Labels  

    Multiple lines of evidence point to consumer food choices as major contributors to diet-related disease, and poor health and fitness. In a peer-reviewed journal article published today, authors Chuck Benbrook and Robin Mesnage cite studies indicating that “Some 90% of the estimated USD 4.3 trillion in annual health care costs in the US is triggered or made worse by poor food quality and diet-related disease.” Benbrook is the founder and former executive director of the Heartland Health Research Alliance (HHRA). The authors recommend novel metrics on both the nutrient density of food, and how to more accurately and usefully characterize the degree of food processing and its impacts on public health. The article is open access in the journal Foods and entitled “Enhanced Labeling to Promote Consumption of Nutrient Dense Foods and Healthier Diets.” The core nutrient density metric is a ratio: the percent of daily nutrient needs satisfied by a serving of food relative to the percent of a 2000 calorie daily diet taken up by the serving of food. This single metric is unmatched in comprehensively reflecting the nutritional quality of food. A graphic option to convey the metric on packaging is presented in Figure 3 in the new paper: A novel graphic is presented in Figure 5 to which integrates both the nutrient density and food processing metrics and graphics in a single graphic, shown below. The impacts of ultra-processed food (UPF) on public health outcomes is among the hottest topics in nutrition, medical, and public health journals, and media coverage on food quality and health outcomes. At the request of the journal, the authors developed a video abstract that explains the paper’s goals, methods, and key findings and recommendations. The authors conclude their paper with these observations: Transparent and accurate food product-specific ingredient and nutrient composition data should determine the content of nutrition health labeling. Efforts to soften the message should be resisted in light of the overwhelming need for new food labels that help bring about substantial improvements in food nutritional quality and dietary choices. Benbrook and Mesnage’s paper builds on public comments HHRA submitted in response to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rule in 2023 to update the definition of the term “healthy” on food labels. The proposed role would require foods labeled “healthy” to contain minimum amounts of foods recommended by USDA’s Dietary Guidelines, and to limit saturated fat, sodium, added sugar and other less healthy nutrients. Entitled “Food Labeling: Nutrient Content Claims; Definition of Term `Healthy’”, the comments recommended new  nutrition/health messaging on the front of food packaging. Co-authors of comments included the chair of HHRA’s Policy Advisory committee Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, HHRA science advisors, and other experts working on how changes in farming systems and technology can increase the nutritional quality of food: Dr. Hannah Flower, Dr. Donald R. Davis, Dr. David Montgomery and Anne Biklé. In the comments, the authors introduced “NuCal” as a name for their new system. Resources HHRA February 2023 comments to the FDA. Benbrook and Mesnage (2024). Enhanced Labeling to Promote Consumption of Nutrient Dense Foods and Healthier Diets, Foods. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213377 Video Abstract: “Enhanced Labeling to Promote Consumption of Nutrient Dense Foods and Healthier Diets”

  • HHRA Weighs in on Key Pesticide Issues Under Review by the National Organic Standards Board

    HHRA and ORG-Tracker, represented by Dr. Chuck Benbrook and Dr. Brian Baker, submitted comments to the Agricultural Marketing Service at the USDA in advance of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Portland, Oregon, from October 22nd to 24th, 2024. Drs. Benbrook and Baker will both attend the conference and deliver public comments. ORG-Tracker is a project carried out by HHRA. It aggregates pesticide residue data from inspections of organic farms carried out by certifiers. The tables generated by ORG-Tracker utilize the results of certifier testing to compare residue frequency and risk levels to food produced on conventional farms. The team is working to more effectively highlight gaps and challenges faced by certification agencies to answer questions like What crops should we be testing, and where? Is a pesticide residue found in an organic sample likely caused by accident, pesticide drift, or an intentional and illegal application? How can we modify organic programs to better mitigate risk? The comments delivered to the USDA discuss risk-based certification, pesticide residue testing, and policies impacting the incorporation of so-called inert ingredients in the biopesticides approved for use on organic farms. They argue for a more rigorous, comprehensive, and health-focused approach to risk oversight. Regarding residue testing, they advocate for more expansive and effective data aggregation to inform consumers and the organics community. Finally, for inert ingredients, they recommend further review of current policy, including increased transparency of ingredients in pesticide products. Thank you to Drs. Benbrook and Baker for your advocacy and hard work!   The three sets of comments are posted on HHRA’s website as part of our policy program: Comments to the NOSB on the Risk-Based Certification Discussion Document Under Consideration During the October 2024 Meeting in Portland, Oregon Written Comments on the NOSB Discussion Document “Residue Testing for the Global Supply Chain” Comments on the Inert Ingredients in Organic Pesticide Products Proposal dated August 13, 2024   Drs. Benbrook and Baker also submitted and presented comments at the Spring 2024 meeting of the NOSB, which are available on HHRA’s Policy and Regulatory Reform page.

  • Dr. Kimberly Yolton joins HHRA board

    Dr. Yolton is a developmental psychologist and epidemiologist serving as Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Her interests include exposures and experiences that may alter a child’s developmental trajectory from infancy through adolescence. She collaborates on research projects on typical child development as well as those focused on the impact of exposures to environmental toxicants, opiates and stress during early development.

  • Paul Hartnett, HHRA’s Executive Director

      Paul Hartnett has served as HHRA’s CFO since our founding . With the departure of Russell King, Paul has now joined the board and Executive Director. We thank Russell for his service and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

  • Heartland Study Enrolls 1,000th Mother-Infant Pair

    July 19, 2024 – In June of this year, the Heartland Study achieved a major milestone, enrolling its 1,000th mother-infant pair. Enrollment is now at 50% of goal. The objective of the Study is to help fill major gaps in our understanding of the impacts of herbicides on maternal and infant health. Currently in Phase 1, the Study is focused on evaluating associations between herbicide concentrations in body fluids and tissue samples from pregnant women and infants, and pregnancy/childbirth outcomes. Phase 2 is designed to evaluate potential associations between herbicide biomarkers and early childhood neurological development. Much appreciation for the mothers enrolled, and the entire Heartland Study Team including scientists, support staff and clinicians for this tremendous achievement, and for our funders to making this work possible. Read more about the study including peer-reviewed studies published in Chemosphere and Agrichemicals at our publications  page. The investment required to conduct this study exceeds $1 million each year. You can support this important work by making a donation here.

Guest Blog: Dr. Robin Mesnage on Groundbreaking Glyphosate-Microbiome Study

Jan 26th, 2021
Jan 26th, 2021
Dr. Robin Mesnage is a Research Associate in the Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics at King's College in London. For more on the importance and implications of this research, see our FAQ and  guest blog by pediatrician and HHRA Science Advisory Board member Dr. Michelle Perro.

By: Robin Mesnage, PhD

Our gut is home to trillions of bacteria which are critical to good health. Because the once-in-a-century herbicide glyphosate can kill bacteria in a petri dish, the notion that glyphosate acts as an antibiotic in the human gut, and as a result is causing human disease, has gained prominence. However, whether and how glyphosate affects the gut microbiome is still an open question. It is what prompted me a few years ago to switch my research focus to the study of the effect of glyphosate on the gut microbiome.

Together with my group leader Dr. Michael Antoniou at King’s College London, we have put together an international team of scientists based in London, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. We have carried out the first in-depth animal study on the impact of glyphosate on the gut microbiome. After three years spent conducting the experiment and crunching numbers on glyphosate’s impacts on the rat microbiome, our findings have been published in Environmental Health Perspectives the 27th of January, 2021.

The Microbiome and Gut-Brain Connection
The gut microbiome contains billions of cells that we are learning play an important role in our physical, and even mental, health.

Let’s dive into our results. First, did glyphosate act as an antibiotic? The short answer is no. In order for glyphosate to act as an antibiotic, it needs to cause a significant shortage in the production of compounds in bacteria called aromatic amino acids. This is how glyphosate kills plants. More specifically, it interrupts a series of chemical reactions within the shikimate pathway.

We reveal for the first time that glyphosate does inhibit the shikimate pathway in the rat gut microbiome. However, glyphosate likely did not kill bacteria via its impact on the shikimate pathway, because bacteria do not need the shikimate pathway to get the aromatic amino acids they need. Like us, they get them from the food we eat.

Glyphosate’s impact on the shikimate pathway had other consequences. A multitude of small molecules (metabolites) accumulated, while others were depleted in the rat gut. The bacterial composition of the gut microbiome also changed, with some bacteria present at higher levels in the glyphosate exposed animals.

We have an explanation for this: the glyphosate molecule contains one atom of phosphorus, and it is very likely that this phosphorus was used as a source of energy by some bacteria to proliferate in the rat gut. It is not clear whether the changes caused by glyphosate in the gut were pathological. However, these changes are a reflection of impacts that can serve as a biomarker to detect whether glyphosate is having an effect on the gut microbiome in humans.

We had another important question to answer: did glyphosate’s impact in the gut stay in the gut? We evaluated this by tracking whether the changes in gut microbiome chemistry caused changes in blood composition.

The compounds altered as a consequence of the interruption of the shikimate pathway by glyphosate in the gut were mostly unchanged in blood. However, other chemicals had their levels disrupted by glyphosate, with some indicating that glyphosate caused oxidative stress.

Roundup Bioflow is the predominant glyphosate formulation in Europe.

Oxidative stress is produced when free radicals are created in such quantities that the body’s defense mechanisms are overwhelmed and cannot prevent damage to cells and DNA — the building blocks of our bodies. It is not fully clear if this oxidative stress is due to the action of glyphosate in the gut microbiome, although our results indicated that Roundup caused a depletion in protective compounds such carotenoids in the gut microbiome that could potentially explain this oxidative stress.

This oxidative stress was even more pronounced when we tested a commercial herbicide containing glyphosate called Roundup Bioflow (also known as MON 52276, the representative glyphosate herbicide in the EU that regulators are focusing on).

It is possible that the altered molecular profiles we observed could serve as a biomarker to better understand if oxidative stress is impairing the health of agricultural workers exposed to glyphosate.

What are the next steps? It is not clear whether the changes caused by glyphosate in the gut were pathological. This study is a first step, and we hope that our new findings will be used as a foundation by other scientists to make new studies.

We are conducting more studies at the moment to understand if this oxidative stress caused by glyphosate is also damaging DNA, and hence raising the risk of cancer. This work will progress through collaborations with The Heartland Study, the Heartland Health Research Alliance [click here to sign up for updates from HHRA], and the Ramazzini Institute. To be continued!

 

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