Scientists discover food that flushes out cancer-causing forever chemicals
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Eating more fiber might help flush out cancer-causing 'forever chemicals,' a study suggests.
Researchers in Boston compared men who took a fiber supplement three times a day to those who had a rice-based supplement for four weeks.
Blood tests revealed those who took beta-glucan fiber, found in mushrooms and oats, before every meal for four weeks had an eight percent reduction in 'forever chemicals.'
Also known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), these toxic chemicals don't naturally break down in the environment.
Instead, they leech from plastic containers and nonstick cookware into food and build up in vital organs, increasing the risk of organ failure, infertility and some forms of cancer.
The researchers believe fiber helps filter out excess bile from the digestive tract, which PFAS latches on to to get absorbed by the bloodstream.
While mountains of research has demonstrated the deadly effects of forever chemicals on the body, the new study is one of the first to offer a scientifically proven way to get rid of the toxins, which were thought to live in the body forever.
But it comes as nine in 10 Americans don't consume enough fiber, raising their risk of other rising conditions like colon cancer.
Researchers at Boston University found fiber found in foods like oats can lower the amount of forever chemicals in the body (stock image)
PFAS is a common contaminant in many household items from cookware to hamburger wrappers. It can remain in the environment as well as human tissue for years, even decades, before being cleared out
The researchers, from Boston University, wrote: 'Despite the growing concerns about the toxicity of PFAS, specific interventions to reduce PFAS levels in the body are limited.'
The study, published in the journal Environmental Health in March, looked at 72 adult men ages 18 to 65 with detectable levels of PFAS in their blood.
Of these, 42 consumed a one-gram supplement of oat beta-glucan, a type of fiber naturally found in oats, mushrooms and seeds, three times a day, about 10 minutes before a meal.
The other 30 participants consumed a rice-based control supplement instead.
Researchers collected blood samples from each participant before and after the four-week experiment. Each test looked for 17 forms of PFAS.
At baseline, 70 percent of participants had 11 of 17 forms of PFAS in their blood, and five forms were in every participant's blood.
The study found men who took the fiber supplement saw an eight percent decrease in perfluorooctanoate acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), which are considered two of the most dangerous forms of PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS are synthetic chemicals used in firefighting foam, non-stick cookware and stain repellents to make them water and stain resistant.
PFOA is considered a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), meaning it causes cancer in animals. PFOS, meanwhile, is a Group 2 carcinogen, suggesting it may cause cancer in animals.
Both chemicals are also thought to to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals, meaning they imitate the body's hormones and interfere with the production of - and response to - natural hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
This increases the risk of developing hormone-sensitive cancers like breast and ovarian cancer.
The researchers believe dietary fiber forms a gel that stips cells lining the gut from absorbing PFAS. This is because that gel stops bile acids, which help break down fats, from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.
Instead, that excess bile gets excreted through feces.
PFAS is thought to latch on to bile and travel through the gut, so fiber may help flush forever chemicals out of the body before they can linger and cause lasting damage.
Using blood tests, the researchers found men in the study had eight percent less PFOS and PFOA in four weeks than they did before the study (stock image)
There is no level of safe exposure to forever chemicals and they have been linked to multiple cancers, asthma, fertility problems, obesity, birth defects, diabetes and autism
The researchers cautioned not all fiber gets rid of PFAS, and more research is needed to determine if other types have a similar effect.
In addition to ridding the body of PFAS, fiber is also well known for adding weight to stools and making them easier to pass, reducing the risk of constipation and promoting regular bowel movements.
Smoother stools spend less time lingering in the colon, reducing the risk of harmful contaminants causing inflammation and triggering cells to grow uncontrollably. This lowers the likelihood of developing colon cancer.
However, 90 percent of Americans don't get the recommended 22 to 34 grams of fiber every day.
There were several limitations to the new study, with the main one being that PFAS can live in the body for two to seven years, so a four-week experiment was not enough time to properly assess the relationship.
The team also noted consuming higher levels of fiber may be necessary to reduce PFAS levels in the long term.
Daily Mail
