Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, are fire-retardant chemicals that are found everywhere -; upholstery, carpets, curtains, electronics, and even infant products. Known to disrupt hormones and persist in the environment, these pollutants have been detected in water, soil, air, food products, animals, human tissues, and even breast milk. A University of California, Riverside, mouse study published in Archives of Toxicology reports that probiotic supplementation can reduce the negative impacts of PBDEs on neurodevelopment, behavior, and metabolism.
"Exposure to PBDEs during the perinatal period produces autistic-like behavior and metabolism syndrome in mice," said Margarita C. Curras-Collazo, a professor of neuroscience who led the study. "These compounds also disrupt the gut microbiome , which has been linked to brain and metabolic health.
Our study shows supplementing the maternal diet with the probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri can help prevent these negative effects." L. reuteri , or LR, typically resides in the digestive tract, where it generates lactic acid.
Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut. It is frequently included in yogurts and other dairy products and, therefore, is readily accessible. The researchers exposed mouse mothers to a PBDE mixture or a control (corn oil) during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
This was done over a ten-week pe.