Food Contaminants
glyphosate alters human hormone levels
In plain terms: Does glyphosate disrupt human hormones?
Leans support Food Contaminants 🔬 Includes disconfirming
Part of: 🔍 glyphosate
RefutedContestedStrong support
consensus score 0.20
Several studies link more glyphosate in urine to lower sex-hormone levels, but they only show an association, not cause, and one study measuring glyphosate in blood and tissue found no link. Much of the animal evidence tested the full weedkiller formulation rather than glyphosate itself.
📅 Last reviewed: 2026-07-29 ⓘ
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: Population patterns (Observational)
MechanismIn-vitroAnimalObservationalRCTMeta-analysis
How the studies fall
3 support 1 contradict 0 tested null 15 mixed · 19 sources, 3 independent groups
What the evidence shows
The evidence leans toward support, narrowly and on association only. Two NHANES analyses (urinary glyphosate with lower sex steroids and free androgen index) and one Puerto Rico pregnancy cohort (glyphosate and AMPA with lower estriol) point the same way; a small IVF study found glyphosate associated with higher estradiol, and an Ecuadorian adolescent cohort linked crop proximity (not a glyphosate…
The evidence (22)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone AM, Camp OG, Biernat MM, Bai D, Awonuga AO, Abu-Soud HM 2025 · Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) | observational | supports | low | Narrative review of female-reproductive-toxicity literature (authors cite human cell lines and animal models, no quantitative synthesis): concludes GBH exposure increases oxidative stress and disrupts reproductive hormones, associating it w |
| Unicsovics M et al 2026 · Toxicology reports | observational | contradicts | low | RESIDENTIAL/DIETARY biomonitoring, HUMAN, cross-sectional (endometrial cancer cases vs age/BMI-matched benign controls, serum+tissue glyphosate; n not given): serum/tissue glyphosate was elevated in high-grade endometrial cancer, but NO sig |
| Kayser GL, Zhang J, Baghdad A, Wei J, Chronister BNC, Calderón-Villarreal A, Brouwer KC, Suarez-Torres J, De La Cruz F, Suarez-Lopez JR 2026 · Environmental health : a global access science source | observational | mixed | moderate | RESIDENTIAL/agricultural-proximity, HUMAN (n=507 adolescents, Ecuador ESPINA cohort; salivary hormones vs. crop-area proximity, not an individual glyphosate biomarker): greater crop area near homes was associated with lower testosterone and |
| Valentín-Cortés MA, Cathey AL, Jenkins HM, Fernandez J, Pabón ZR, Vélez Vega CM, Cordero JF, Alshawabkeh A, Watkins DJ, Meeker JD 2026 · Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology | observational | supports | moderate | PRENATAL/DIETARY biomonitoring, HUMAN (n=752 pregnancies, PROTECT birth cohort, Puerto Rico; urinary glyphosate/AMPA, IQR-scaled associations): AMPA linked to 10.6% lower estriol (95% CI -18.1,-2.4) and glyphosate to 8.3% lower estriol (CI |
| Alcalá-Pérez MA, Hernández-Fuentes GA, Garza-Veloz I, Diaz-Llerenas U, Martinez-Fierro ML, Guzmán-Esquivel J, Rojas-Larios F, Ramos-Organillo ÁA, Pineda-Urbina K, Flores-Álvarez JM, Mojica-Sánchez JP, Cárdenas-Magaña JA, Villa-Martínez CA, Delgado-Enciso I 2025 · Toxics | in-vitro | mixed | low | IN-VITRO (human breast-cancer cell lines MCF-7/T47D/MDA-MB-231/MCF-10A/12A; PROSPERO-registered SR of 7 in-vitro studies to Nov 2025, pure glyphosate vs GBH formulations distinguished): pure glyphosate showed weak ERα-mediated estrogenic ac TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Mohammadi K, Sani MA, Safaei P, Rahmani J, Molaee-Aghaee E, Jafari SM 2022 · Environmental science and pollution research international | animal | mixed | moderate | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL (meta-analysis of 8 rat studies; doses/route not pooled in abstract): glyphosate decreased testosterone (WMD -1.48 ng/mL, 95% CI -2.34,-0.61, p=0.001) and LH (WMD -2.03 mIU/mL, CI -3.34,-0.71, p=0.003); FSH decrease non- TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Riechelmann-Casarin L, Moreno GV, Varicoda AS, Valente LC, Barbisan LF, Romualdo GR 2026 · Environmental toxicology | animal | mixed | moderate | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL (male C57BL/6J mice, Western diet, 6 months; glyphosate 0.05 mg/kg/day [~ADI] or 5 mg/kg/day [near NOAEL]): 5 mg/kg raised serum T3 and follicle size; the LOW dose (0.05 mg/kg, ADI-level) raised follicular-cell prolifera TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Peng B, Schlenk D, Liu J 2026 · Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) | mechanism | mixed | low | Review, not evidence: 'This review synthesizes the current knowledge on GLY/GBHs-induced female reproductive toxicity'; built on 'Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies'. No human hormone measurements. Review — zero weight. |
| Dal' Bó IF, Bufalo NE, Máximo V, Ward LS 2026 · Frontiers in endocrinology | in-vitro | mixed | low | IN-VITRO, FORMULATION (Roundup Original DI on human papillary/anaplastic thyroid carcinoma + normal thyroid cell lines, 6.5-6500 µg/L, 24-48h): 65 µg/L -- below current regulatory limits -- triggered proliferative responses in all models, p TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Teleken JL, Rosolen APF, Morari J, Balbo SL, Ribeiro RA, Bonfleur ML 2026 · Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology | animal | mixed | low | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL, FORMULATION (C57Bl/6 mice, pubertal gavage 50 mg/kg/day GBH -- ~100x the EU ADI -- then adult high-fat diet): elevated plasma T3 and cortisol in obese GBH-exposed mice of both sexes, plus increased testosterone (males) TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Giommi C, Lombó M, Maradonna F, Pinto G, Sella F, Fontanarosa C, Habibi HR, Amoresano A, Carnevali O 2026 · Toxics | animal | mixed | low | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL, DIETARY-modeled (adult female zebrafish, 21 days; glyphosate at EU ADI [0.5 mg/kg/day], 5, and NOAEL [50 mg/kg/day]): highest dose raised cortisol/cortisone and disrupted oocyte-maturation/estrogen-receptor-signaling ge TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Mandour DA, Abdel Aziz NM, El-Shetry ES, Abdelaal Ahmed AF 2026 · Tissue & cell | animal | mixed | low | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL, FORMULATION (Sprague-Dawley rats, oral Roundup 244 µL/kg/day, 14 days -- a high experimental dose, not dietary-relevant): Roundup group showed hormonal imbalance, inflammation, oxidative stress and cytoarchitectural dam TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Szentirmay A, Unicsovics M, Ruff E, Csókay B, Sára-Popovics K, Holéci D, Buzder T, Sipos M, Martonos A, Sajgó A, Szeőcs N, Nagyéri G, Sára L, Szőke Z 2026 · Biomedicines | observational | mixed | low | DIETARY/background biomonitoring, HUMAN (n=50 women undergoing IVF; serum+follicular-fluid glyphosate ~0.04 ng/mL, no exposure source specified): glyphosate positively associated with serum/follicular estradiol (β=40.26, p=0.006; r=0.29, p= |
| Rana I, Nguyen PK, Rigutto G, Louie A, Lee J, Smith MT, Zhang L 2023 · Chemosphere | mechanism | mixed | moderate | MECHANISM (systematic review of 175 in vivo/ex vivo/in vitro mechanistic studies, human AND animal, PubMed to Aug 2021, Chemosphere): the endocrine-disruption 'key characteristic' (KC8) showed strong, consistent evidence glyphosate modulate TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Branco SR, Alves MG, Oliveira PF, Zamoner A 2025 · Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) | animal | mixed | low | Narrative review of endocrine-disruption/testicular-toxicity mechanistic literature (content is animal/in-vitro-derived, not a human clinical synthesis): concludes glyphosate/AMPA disrupt the HPG axis and testosterone via oxidative stress a TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Kaboli Kafshgiri S, Farkhondeh T, Miri-Moghaddam E 2022 · Reviews on environmental health | animal | mixed | low | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL, FORMULATION (systematic review, 14 studies in rodents/lamb/fish, GBH not pure glyphosate; dose/route varied by study): consistent histological ovarian/uterine changes and altered serum progesterone/estradiol, dose- and TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Gomez AL, Reato DG, Masat E, Kass L, Altamirano GA 2026 · Molecular and cellular endocrinology | animal | mixed | low | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL, MIXED-EXPOSURE, PRENATAL (rat, propiconazole+glyphosate co-administered, 3.7 mg GLY/kg/day + 4 mg PRO/kg/day, gestation to weaning): reduced serum testosterone and prostate ESR2 in postpubertal male offspring, but glyph |
| Chai Z, Cheng Y, Yang X, Wang D, Yue J, Mu Z, Dong Y, Wang M, Qi L, Li G 2025 · Ecotoxicology and environmental safety | observational | supports | moderate | DIETARY/background biomonitoring, HUMAN (NHANES 2013-2016, urinary glyphosate; n not stated in abstract): glyphosate associated with reduced Free Androgen Index (β=-3.27, 95% CI -4.45,-2.10, p<0.001), partly mediated by serum cholesterol (1 |
| Al-Azzam A, Darmani H 2026 · Journal of applied toxicology : JAT | animal | mixed | moderate | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL, FORMULATION (GBH via drinking water, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, 30 days; glyphosate-equivalent 55 µg/kg/day [~ADI-range] and ~6 mg/kg/day): dose-dependent HPG disruption -- testosterone/LH reduced at high dose, est TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Choudhary L, Monaghan M, Schweppe R, Franco AT, Goldner W, van Gerwen M 2025 · Biomedicines | observational | mixed | low | Narrative review of 28 studies (9 HUMAN, 3 in-vitro, 16 animal) through Dec 2024, glyphosate/GBH and thyroid: HUMAN studies showed MIXED findings -- some associate exposure with altered thyroid hormones, others null; ANIMAL studies (esp. pe |
| Hamdaoui L, El Feki H, Ben Amor M, Oudadesse H, Atwan M, Mohajja Alshammari A, Brahmi F, Ben-Nasr H, Badraoui R, Rebai T 2025 · Toxics | animal | mixed | low | EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL, FORMULATION, PRENATAL/lactational (Kalach GBH, Tunisia; rat dams gavaged 0.07 mL diluted herbicide/day, offspring assessed postnatal day 14): offspring showed hypothyroidism, thyroid tissue necrosis, and phosphocalcic/b TEMPERED: preclinical (animal/in-vitro) evidence, retained in the ledger but not carrying a human-outcome headline; dosing is typically far above human exposure. |
| Wu WY, Wang DS, Lin HC, Wang C, Lin CY 2025 · Life (Basel, Switzerland) | observational | supports | moderate | DIETARY/background biomonitoring, HUMAN (NHANES 2017-2018, n=1532, urinary glyphosate vs. 10 serum sex hormones): higher glyphosate associated with lower AMH, androstenedione, estradiol, estrone, estrone sulfate, 17α-OH-progesterone, and pr |
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