Aurabiome

New study published this week in Nature Microbiology have unveiled an ally in the fight against toxic forever chemicals: our own gut bacteria. The research, titled "Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” reveals that specific species of gut microbes (Bacteroides uniformis) can absorb and sequester PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) - a class of highly persistent industrial chemicals found in everything from non-stick pans to food packaging and firefighting foam. Often dubbed "forever chemicals" due to their resistance to environmental breakdown, PFAS have been linked to a wide range of health problems, including infertility, cancer, immune dysfunction, and developmental issues in children. The Cambridge-led team demonstrated that certain human gut microbes not only accumulate PFAS rapidly, absorbing between 25% to 74% of the chemicals within minutes of exposure, but also *store them in clusters inside their cells, apparently shield...