Gut Bacteria Can Absorb and Remove PFAS Forever Chemicals, Cambridge Study Finds
Nine species of bacteria already living in the human gut can absorb between 25% and 74% of ingested PFAS within minutes, then flush those toxic compounds out of the body through normal digestion. That is the central finding of a study published in Nature Microbiology on July 1, 2025, by researchers at the University of Cambridge's Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit.
The discovery suggests the gut microbiome may be an active, natural defense against a class of chemicals found in the blood of virtually every American.
Why PFAS Are Called Forever Chemicals
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used since the 1950s in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging, firefighting foam, and stain-resistant textiles. Their carbon-fluorine bonds are among the strongest in organic chemistry, which means the human body cannot break them down. Once ingested, PFAS accumulate in blood, liver, and kidney tissue for years.
Exposure is nearly universal. According to the CDC, PFAS have been detected in the blood of roughly 97% of Americans. These chemicals enter the body primarily through contaminated drinking water and food, including processed items packaged in PFAS-treated materials, takeout containers, and produce irrigated with tainted water.
The health consequences are well documented. PFAS exposure has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, decreased fertility, thyroid dysfunction, and developmental delays in children, according to NPR's reporting on the Cambridge findings.
How Gut Bacteria Act as PFAS Sponges
The Cambridge team, led by Dr. Kiran Patil and first author Dr. Anna Lindell, screened bacterial species commonly found in human intestines. Nine of those species pulled PFAS out of their surrounding environment and stored the chemicals inside their cells at rates the team did not expect.
"Certain species of human gut bacteria have a remarkably high capacity to soak up PFAS from their environment at a range of concentrations," said Dr. Patil, who leads the research group at the MRC Toxicology Unit.
The mechanism works like a biological sponge. The bacteria absorb PFAS molecules and bundle them into clumps within their cells. That trapping appears to protect both sides of the relationship. The microbes tolerate the chemicals without apparent harm, and the PFAS, now locked inside bacterial cells, move through the digestive tract toward the exit.
When the research team colonized mice with these bacteria, the results were consistent and rapid. "The bacteria absorb the PFAS, and the animals eventually cleared it when they went to the bathroom," Dr. Patil told NPR. Within minutes of exposure, the tested species absorbed between 25% and 74% of the PFAS present.
As PFAS concentrations increased in lab conditions, the bacteria maintained consistent removal rates. According to the University of Cambridge, the mechanism does not get overwhelmed at higher doses, which suggests it could scale to real-world exposure levels.
From Lab Mice to Human Trials
The research has already moved beyond the lab. The Cambridge team co-founded Cambiotics, a startup company building probiotic dietary supplements from these bacterial strains. The idea is straightforward: give people more of the bacteria that soak up PFAS, and their bodies should clear more of it naturally.
Human clinical trials are the next step. The researchers are upfront about the limits of what they know so far. These results come from mouse studies and lab experiments. The behavior observed in mice may not translate directly to humans, and the timeline for a commercial probiotic product remains uncertain.
The peer-reviewed results were published in Nature Microbiology (DOI: 10.1038/s41564-025-02032-5).
Credibility and Caveats
The study was published in Nature Microbiology, a top-tier peer-reviewed journal, and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Medical Research Council. Dr. Indra Roux, a co-author from the MRC Toxicology Unit, contributed toxicological analysis confirming the bacteria sequester PFAS without releasing secondary harmful byproducts.
UKRI highlighted the findings as evidence that "gut bacteria can remove PFAS 'forever chemicals' from our body." But all parties have been careful to frame the results as promising preclinical data. Probiotic approaches to environmental toxins are not a new idea, and previous efforts in adjacent fields have had mixed results in human populations. What made this study stand out was the speed and efficiency of PFAS absorption, something researchers had not seen at this scale before.
What This Means for You
PFAS contamination is not a problem you can shop your way out of. These chemicals are in tap water, food packaging, non-stick pans, and thousands of consumer products. Complete avoidance is practically impossible.
The Cambridge findings offer a different kind of hope. The trillions of bacteria already living in your gut may be doing more to protect you than anyone previously understood. A PFAS-clearing probiotic supplement is still years from store shelves, but the research points to gut microbiome health as a real factor in how your body handles environmental toxins.
There are steps you can take now. Filtering your drinking water with an activated carbon or reverse osmosis system removes most PFAS. Avoiding non-stick cookware, microwave popcorn bags, and greasy fast-food wrappers reduces exposure. Eating a diverse, fiber-rich diet supports the kind of bacterial diversity that the Cambridge team found to be protective.
Apps like VeriFoods allow consumers to scan product barcodes and check whether items have been tested for contaminants including PFAS, heavy metals, and pesticides, giving you visibility into what is actually in the products you buy.
PFAS are not going away on their own. But the Cambridge findings suggest a biological tool for dealing with them may already exist in the human body. Whether probiotics can turn that potential into measurable protection is the question Cambiotics and its clinical trials will need to answer.
Sources
NPR - "Scientists find gut microbes that are PFAS sponges" - July 1, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/01/nx-s1-5452475/scientists-find-gut-microbes-that-are-pfas-sponges
University of Cambridge - "Gut microbes could protect us from toxic 'forever chemicals'" - July 1, 2025. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/gut-microbes-could-protect-us-from-toxic-forever-chemicals
UKRI - "Gut bacteria can remove PFAS 'forever chemicals' from our body" - July 1, 2025. https://www.ukri.org/news/gut-bacteria-can-remove-pfas-forever-chemicals-from-our-body/
