In a groundbreaking study from the University of Cambridge, researchers have discovered that certain gut microbes can absorb and help the body expel toxic PFAS—known as “forever chemicals”—through faeces. The finding opens the door to a gentler, more natural approach to detoxification, offering a promising alternative to current harsh methods such as bloodletting and cholesterol drugs with unpleasant side effects.
PFAS, a class of over 15,000 synthetic chemicals commonly used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains, are notoriously persistent in the environment and the human body. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, reduced immune response, kidney disease, and high cholesterol. The US Environmental Protection Agency has declared that there is no safe level of PFOS or PFOA—two of the most common PFAS variants—in drinking water.
According to the study, some microbes were able to remove up to 75% of certain PFAS compounds from the guts of mice. The research team introduced nine human-relevant bacterial strains into the mouse gut to simulate a human microbiome. These microbes quickly colonised the gut, absorbing PFAS from food and aiding in its removal via faeces.
“The exciting part is that this may lead to the development of probiotic supplements that help humans naturally rid their bodies of PFAS without the harsh side effects,” said Anna Lindell, a doctoral student at Cambridge and co-author of the study. “It’s a much gentler approach than current methods.”
The researchers did not initially set out to study PFAS specifically, but rather analysed how the gut microbiome responded to 42 common food contaminants. Among them, PFAS stood out for how effectively certain microbes helped eliminate them. The scientists believe these microbes use a cellular “pump” mechanism to eject toxins from their cells, a strategy microbes have evolved to survive antibiotics and other pollutants.
While the exact process of how the bacteria absorb PFAS is still unclear, Lindell suggests that a similar pumping mechanism may be at play in pulling the chemicals into microbial cells before ejecting them.
Although this study marks the first time microbes have been shown to directly remove PFAS, gut bacteria are already known to reduce the impact of other harmful substances such as microplastics. Given that food is believed to be a major exposure route for PFAS—despite the lack of official limits in the United States—this microbial method could represent a major public health breakthrough.
With further development, the Cambridge researchers hope to create tailored probiotic treatments that could drastically reduce PFAS levels in humans, offering hope in the fight against these long-lasting environmental toxins.