We’re living in a toxic world – and as a Mom, this is a BIG concern.   You want to protect your little one from exposure, since these exposures can potentially have long-term consequences.

But how ?

These chemicals are ubiquitous, and exposure is often unavoidable.

Exposure doesn’t mean assimilation

To do harm, toxins must be assimilated. “Mother Nature” knows this, this is why, we come with a pretty sophisticated detoxification system built in. It’s pretty robust, protecting us from a range of chemical troubles.

Unfortunately, it is a little slow to come on line, making little bodies a lot more vulnerable to toxins, than big bodies. And it can be easily overwhelmed.

But, human enzymes are not the only ones who can remove toxins.

Bacteria, are masters at breaking down toxins. They’re chemical wizards – in fact one of their superpowers is that, as a collective, they can eat ANYTHING. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G ! This makes them living examples of the axiom, one man’s poison is another man’s meat.

You are not alone

Now as a human, you are NOT ALONE. We’re all have a trillion or so bacteria packed in our guts. For some people, the bacteria are allies, for others……………… they’re up to no good.

They’re there to share our food. The good food, the bad food and the toxic food.

Could they help us, avoid exposure to heavy metals ? Could we USE THEM, to block heavy metal assimilation ?

Hiring some help ?

This is the question, a group of researchers asked.

To find the answer, they dropped a very special mercury munching microbe, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, into the batches of yoghurt being brewed in the community kitchens of Mwanza.

And then shared their special yoghurt with pregnant women.

Heavy metals for breakfast

Mwanza, is a village located on the edge of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, living on the shores of the lake, this is a community of fish eaters. They eat fish for breakfast, lunch and supper.

But, Mwanza is not a sleepy fishing community.

In addition, to fishing, it is a mining town. And the mining activity along the shores of the lake, has brought exposure to heavy metals.

These Moms to be, were big fish eaters.

Fish & yoghurt daily

The team confirmed, the fish, the Moms and children in the village of Mwanza , had high levels of mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium.

60 pregnant women, participated in the study, which required them to supplement their high fish diet, with a little dairy.

• Half the “mums”, consumed the Lactobacillus rhamnosus containing yoghurt daily.
• Half the “mums”, enjoyed a glass of whole milk.

The levels of heavy metals were documented at the beginning of the study and then just after the Mom’s delivered. On average, the Moms did fish and dairy, for 102 days.

Lactobacillus ate the mercury

The team found that the Lactobacillus rhamonsus was protective.

Although, the blood levels of mercury remained high, the levels were stable in the group who consumed the probiotic.   In the women, drinking ordinary milk, the blood levels of mercury, increased.  The higher levels in Mom, mean the developing baby is also expose to higher levels.

The effect was small, but the difference was significant.

The results of this research suggest………

Gut bacteria help with detox

They already have a lot of jobs, detoxification of heavy metals, it yet another benefit.

Eish !

It really is important to cultivate the “right” microflora.

NB. You want to feed them, foods they like. You want to seed them, by eating fermented foods or taking a probiotic. And lastly, only take an antibiotic when you absolutely have to.

Further reading

Interested in learning more about how to create better body chemistry ? 

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