Dearm microbes: New study warns of poisonous arsenic compounds in fish!

Dearm microbes: New study warns of poisonous arsenic compounds in fish!

Seafood could be a health risk that many people have not yet considered. In particular, the connection of arsenobetain, which occurs in food such as algae, fish and shellfish, is the focus of a new study by the University of Bern. This substance, which is known as "Fischarsen", has so far been considered harmless because it was associated with low toxicity and fast excretion in the body. However, research shows that the intestinal microbioma of mammals plays a crucial role in converting this connection into potentially harmful arsenic substances.

The previously unknown dangers of arsenobetain

The study highlighted the metabolism of arsenobetain in mice with various settlement status of its intestinal microbes. The results show that mice with a natural microbiota had a higher concentration of arsenic in the intestine and produced specific, highly toxic arsenic compounds in the large intestine. These changes were not observed in germ -free mice, although the excretion of arsenic was generally slower. "So intestinal microbes play a crucial role in the metabolism of arsenobetain in the body. In this case, however, the microbioma seems to have a harmful effect," explains the microbiome expert Siegfried Hapfelmeier.

The fact that arsenobetain is currently not toxic and is therefore not subject to a legal limit could be misleading for many consumers. These new findings raise serious questions about the safety of seafood and may be calling for a re -evaluation of the current guidelines. As Today.