How Probiotics Reduce Toxicity from Fire-Retardant Chemicals: A Scientific Breakthrough

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are fire-retardant chemicals found in many everyday items such as upholstery, carpets, electronics, and baby products. These substances can disrupt hormones and remain in the environment. Studies show that PBDEs are present in water, soil, air, food, animals, and human tissues, including breast milk.

A recent University of California, Riverside (UCR) study, published in Archives of Toxicology, discovered that probiotic supplementation can lessen the harmful effects of PBDEs on neurodevelopment, behavior, and metabolism in mice.

Margarita C. Curras-Collazo, a neuroscience professor and lead researcher, stated that PBDE exposure during pregnancy causes autistic-like behavior and metabolic issues in mice. The study indicates that adding the probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri (LR) to the maternal diet can prevent these negative outcomes.

L. reuteri is a probiotic found in the digestive tract and sources like beans, artichokes, sweet potatoes, miso, kimchi, and yogurt.

In the study, researchers exposed pregnant mouse mothers to a PBDE mix or a control substance and provided some with LR. They monitored the offspring’s development and behavior throughout their lives.

Results showed that male offspring exposed to PBDEs had delayed weight gain and abnormal tooth eruption timing. However, LR treatment assisted in normalizing these issues.

Maximillian Denys, a UCR medical student and co-author of the study, highlighted the significance of low birth weight as a predictor of future health problems, especially in underserved populations facing higher exposure to pollutants.

Additionally, female offspring exposed to PBDEs displayed increased digging behavior and hyperactivity, which LR supplementation mitigated. Improvements were also noted in glucose metabolism and insulin levels for these females.

Curras-Collazo emphasized that maternal probiotic therapy with LR corrected many behavioral and metabolic issues caused by PBDE exposure. She pointed out that using gut health therapies before birth could help guard against health problems related to toxic exposures.

The researchers found PBDEs affected the gut microbiome differently based on age and sex. LR supplementation increased gut bacteria diversity in females and prevented bacterial changes in males. Curras-Collazo suggested that understanding the interactions between probiotics and toxins could lead to effective early interventions for managing health risks associated with toxins.

While this research needs further verification, it highlights the potential of probiotics in diet to help protect health from harmful chemicals that cannot be easily removed from the body.

The study involved several UCR researchers and the paper is titled “Maternal probiotic supplementation protects against PBDE-induced developmental, behavior and metabolic reprogramming in a sexually dimorphic manner: Role of gut microbiome.”