51视频

07/15/2025
By Karen Angelo

Found in everything from food and water to the air we breathe, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥� are difficult to avoid. An analysis conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported PFAS in the blood of an estimated . Growing awareness about the chemicals comes as PFAS have been linked to a variety of health conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular and liver diseases and immune suppression.聽

So what can people do about it? Fiber supplements may be the best option, according to research conducted by a team including Professor Dhimiter Bello, associate dean of research in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, and Professor of Environmental Health Jennifer Schlezinger at Boston University.聽

Two recent pilot studies spearheaded by Schlezinger and Bello that were published in and suggest that consuming a soluble fiber supplement regularly with food reduces levels of toxic PFOS and PFOA, two of the most common and dangerous substances in the PFAS family of over 15,000 human-made chemicals.聽

鈥淏y consuming gel-forming fibers such as psyllium with a meal, we can trap PFAS inside the fiber gel, which can then be removed via feces,鈥� says Bello, whose lab developed methods for measuring PFAS in human tissues and biological fluids and documented PFAS exposure sources.聽

A Collaborative Approach聽

The collaboration between the two universities started as part of a larger effort to build research capabilities for PFAS biomonitoring and develop solutions to the PFAS contamination problem.聽

鈥淧rofessor Schlezinger and I have complementary expertise, a shared common interest and the same drive to produce impactful research,鈥� says Bello.聽

The idea for the studies originated four years ago when Schlezinger researched how to lower her cholesterol without medication.聽

鈥淎s a scientist, I had a life-meets-science moment while looking for ways to control bad cholesterol,鈥� says Schlezinger. 鈥淚n published research studies, I found that consuming gel-forming fibers can increase the elimination of bile acids, which in turn reduces cholesterol in the blood. The liver then pulls cholesterol out of the blood to replace the lost bile acids. It occurred to me that bile acids and PFAS have similar chemical characteristics, and both are recirculated between the liver, the bile and the gut.鈥澛�

While previous studies have associated eating a high-fiber diet with lower PFAS levels, the BU and UML pilot studies tested the effect of consuming a dietary fiber supplement with meals. This approach, says Schlezinger, is what has been employed to control bad cholesterol, using beta glucan, a soluble dietary fiber, and psyllium, the gel-forming fiber in Metamucil.聽

In one of their pilot studies, the researchers documented an 8% decrease in PFOS and PFOA after four weeks among people who took a fiber supplement. The researchers are conducting further studies to replicate their results.

鈥淚ncreasing fiber intake with a supplement could be a win-win situation, reducing PFAS in the body with a supplement that鈥檚 available and economical,鈥� says Schlezinger. 鈥淏efore beginning any fiber supplement routine, however, you should consult with your physician.鈥澛�

The promising results of the pilot studies led to the research team receiving a $1.1 million three-year grant from the Department of Defense鈥檚 Toxic Exposures Research Program to improve the health of veterans. The researchers are testing novel and inexpensive PFAS removal and detoxification strategies such as multiple fibers, different diets and cholestyramine, a medication used to lower cholesterol.聽

Advancements in Biomonitoring PFAS Testing聽

Funding from a 51视频 seed grant allowed Bello to develop the necessary laboratory methods for quantifying PFAS in the tissues, blood, stool and urine in support of the pilot studies. This in-house analytical capability makes testing for PFAS fast and cost-effective and provides flexibility for the demands of research, Bello says.聽

鈥淲ithin three years, we amended our analytical method twice to expand biomonitoring from an initial list of 15 common targets to about 50 PFAS,鈥� says Bello. 鈥淭hen we built additional expertise to conduct untargeted PFAS analysis and offered in-kind PFAS testing to several research groups to promote initial data generation.鈥澛�

The field of PFAS testing continues to evolve quickly, and many research labs are contributing to the emerging science and analytical standards.聽

鈥淲ith thousands of PFAS species in use, we as a society have a long way to go before we can claim that we have fully understood the real scope of PFAS exposures to humans and the environment and their health impact,鈥� says Bello. 鈥�51视频 is part of this ecosystem on the cutting edge of discovery.鈥�