The findings, by scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute's Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotic Research, indicated probiotic-supplemented yogurt blocked absorption of mercury by up to 36 percent and arsenic by up to 78 percent in pregnant women.

 

These findings provide the first clinical evidence that a probiotic yogurt can be used to reduce the deadly health risks associated with the environmental toxins commonly found in drinking water and food products, especially fish.

 

Even at low levels, chronic exposure to heavy metals has been linked to certain cancers and delayed neurological and cognitive development in children.

 

For the new study, the researchers tracked 44 school-aged children and 60 pregnant women living in Mwanza, Tanzania near Lake Victoria. After consuming the probiotic-supplemented yogurt, the children in the study showed positive, but minor improvements in their body’s levels of the toxins. But pregnant women showed more dramatic outcomes, with the probiotic yogurt protecting them from uptake of mercury by up to 36 percent and arsenic by up to 78 percent.
 

"The findings are exciting for many reasons," said lead researcher Gregor Reid, M.D. "First, they show a simple fermented food, easily made by resource disadvantaged communities, can provide benefits in addition to nutrition and immunity.
 

“Second, the results are relevant for many parts of the world, including Canada, where exposure to these toxins occurs daily. Finally, it confirms more attention needs to be paid to these toxins, especially in children and pregnant women."
 

This study, funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was published in mBio, the journal of the American Society for Microbiology