Do probiotics protect pregnant women from heavy metal poisoning?

Yogurt that contains probiotic bacteria can successfully protect children and pregnant women from exposure to heavy metals toxic to the body. This is shown by the results of a recently conducted study.

Scientists from Canada and Tanzania created a special yogurt containing the bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which they distributed among a limited risk group of people – pregnant women and children. They are most sensitive to exposure to toxic heavy metals.

The results of the scientific work carried out, published in the journal mBio, which is the official journal of the American Society for Microbiology, focus on how beneficial bacteria can protect the health of people in poor regions of the world.

But in general, the discovery made should be taken into account, since each one of us, in whatever part of the world we live, is exposed to heavy metals on a daily basis.

Their sources are many, starting from the air in big cities, drinking water from the pipeline, even metal spoons also release, albeit small amounts that do not pose a health problem, metal atoms.

And the discovery made by scientists from Canada and Tanzania is actually a reason for us Bulgarians to feel more relaxed about our health, since Bulgarian yogurt, which is available to each of us, is an excellent source of valuable bacteria.

The laboratory tests carried out by the researchers show that the bacterium L. Rhamnosus is highly sensitive and easily binds to heavy metals.

And based on this fact, scientists reach the conclusion that regular consumption of foods containing this probiotic strain can hinder the absorption of metals ingested with food.

The scientists who made the discovery, with the help of Western companies, are funding the creation of community kitchens in Mwanza, Tanzania /Tanzania’s second largest city after the capital Dar es Salaam/ to produce yogurt for the local population.

The town of Mwanza sits on the shores of Lake Victoria, which is known to be contaminated with pesticides and toxic metals such as mercury. The team of scientists used the established network of community kitchens to produce and distribute a new type of yogurt.

The newly created product was provided free of charge to two groups of pregnant women and children. The researchers measured the levels of toxic metals before and after consumption of the milk containing probiotics.

The team of scientists found a significant protective effect of probiotic bacteria in pregnant women from the control group when exposed to mercury and arsenic.

This is important because lowering the levels of these metals in expectant mothers suggests a reduction in their negative impact on fetal development and prevents the development of complications after birth.

Although the results obtained in the study of the children show that their health condition improves and the levels of heavy metals in their bodies decrease, the too limited duration of treatment with the special type of yogurt is a reason , it should be of insignificant statistical value.