Study to probe link between pesticides and our physical and mental well-being
Farming systems in Europe rely strongly on the use of pesticides. Picture: iStock
A team of UCC researchers has won more than €730,000 in EU funding to join an international investigation into the impact of pesticides on the gut — and mental well-being — of humans and animals.
Professor John F Cryan and his colleagues at the university’s APC Microbiome Ireland have been awarded the research funding under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. This project aims to understand the impact of pesticides on the community of bacteria in the guts of animals and humans with a particular focus on the link between gut and brain.
Farming systems in Europe rely strongly on the use of pesticides to secure harvests and ensure food safety in plant production and animal husbandry, using 340,000-370,000 tons of active substances annually on an average basis.
However, the risk posed by our over-reliance on pesticides — in relation to human and animal health — is still relatively unknown.
“From an environmental and health perspective, it is a matter of some concern that pesticide residues are commonly found in soil, water, crops, food and feed, animals, and humans,” said Prof Cryan, whose team will be participating in the newly-launched SPRINT project, Sustainable Plant Protection Transition: A Global Health Approach.
This consists of a consortium of research institutes from 11 European countries alongside colleagues in Argentina and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.
SPRINT will develop a global health risk assessment toolbox to evaluate the impact of pesticides on human health and the adverse effects on plants, animals, and ecosystems. It will also pool the knowledge and data from across Europe to find ways to improve the sustainable use of pesticides.
Working with farmers and policymakers, researchers will find ways to support a transition to more sustainable plant protection. “This project is very much in line with both APC Microbiome Ireland and UCC’s strategy to engage in impactful research and will add value to the EU’s farm to fork and biodiversity strategies and the overall sustainability of the planet we live on,” Prof Cryan said.
Over the past decade, he added, there had been a clear realisation that the microbiome (the trillions of bacteria within our gut) is crucial for all aspects of human and animal health.
“Understanding the influence of pesticides and other plant protection products on the microbiome, which is an important aspect of the SPRINT project, is crucial for all aspects of health,” he said, adding that his team is looking to extend this knowledge by linking any influence pesticides may have on the gut microbiome and how it subsequently “talks” to the brain.
This will break new ground in understanding how pesticides may affect the mental well-being of those who consume them.
“This is the first study of its kind to consider taking a holistic approach to understanding the role pesticides play in the health of animals and people as well as our ecosystems," Prof Cryan said.
