Common Weedkiller Throws Your Body Clock into Chaos

I’m a firm believer in hobbies—especially if you’re a senior.

I personally have so many it can be hard to fit them all in. Hunting, fishing, running, and soaking in the cold spring near my home are all on my list.

But if gardening is one of your favorite pastimes… I have some disturbing news you need to know.

Gardening is fantastic for you. It slashes your risk for stroke, heart attack, depression, diabetes, anxiety, and more.

But there can be a hidden dark side to this healthy hobby—and alarming new research may have you making some changes.

(Oh, and non-gardeners, you should stick around for the details, because this affects us too.)

A groundbreaking new animal study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology uncovered alarming evidence that glyphosate—a common weedkiller—doesn’t just kill weeds.

It could silently be disrupting your body’s internal timekeeping and metabolic functions.

Researchers found that glyphosate significantly impairs glucose and lipid metabolism in mice by interfering with their circadian rhythm (the body’s 24-hour clock that regulates sleep-wake patterns, temperature, hormone release, alertness, and more).

But this isn’t just about lacking energy or feeling tired all the time. It’s far worse than that.

When glyphosate disrupts your circadian rhythms, it alters how the liver processes sugars and fats, setting the stage for metabolic disorders such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

In lab tests, mice exposed to glyphosate showed disturbing changes in their liver function. Their glycogen reserves—the stored form of glucose that helps maintain stable blood sugar—were dramatically depleted.

Total cholesterol levels in the blood also plummeted.

But that’s not all—there were also measurable changes to the animals’ behavior, with exposed mice becoming hyperactive during daylight hours and experiencing longer circadian periods.

This adds to mounting evidence about glyphosate’s potential health hazards. Previous studies have already documented glyphosate-induced liver damage through oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inflammation.

Glyphosate was once the primary active ingredient in several popular consumer weedkillers, such as the herbicide Roundup. It is being phased out, but it’s still found in some products—maybe even those you use in your own garden.

I urge you to read labels carefully and if it’s in any weedkillers you’re using, throw it away. Contact your local waste management company to learn how to do it properly.

However, the problem doesn’t end there, given how common this chemical is in our environment. Since 1996, global use of glyphosate has skyrocketed 15-fold, with over 800,000 metric tons sprayed annually across farms, forests, and urban landscapes.

Regulatory bodies like the European Food Safety Authority and Canadian Food Inspection Agency have reported detectable glyphosate residues in various crops, fruits, and vegetables—meaning many of us are swallowing small amounts of this compound regularly without realizing it.

More research is needed to see how these findings translate to humans, but what we’ve seen already is alarming. A chemical designed to kill plants may be subtly reprogramming our metabolic processes and throwing off our body’s natural rhythms.

We can’t avoid glyphosate entirely. But we can reduce our exposure.

Besides switching to natural herbicides in your garden, commit to buying organic fruits, vegetables, and grains whenever possible.

P.S. Still using Roundup? Remember, this popular weedkiller has a cancer connection too!

View Sources

Xiao, B., Jiang, H., Dong, H., Li, C., Zhang, H., Gao, D., Wang, A., Jin, Y., & Chen, H. (2025). Glyphosate exposure impairs glucose and lipid metabolism by disturbing the circadian clock system in mice liver. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 115436.