Fiber

Certain fibers such as wheat bran and pectin act as a shield. They protect our gut microbiome from the negative changes from heavy metal exposure. They are especially helpful guarding us from arsenic and cadmium.

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SPECIFIC DIETARY FIBERS PREVENT HEAVY METAL DISRUPTION OF THE HUMAN GUT MICROBIOTA IN VITRO

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different heavy metals (As, Cd and Hg in different concentrations) on gut microbiota in the presence and absence of different dietary fibers that included fructooligosaccharides, pectin, resistant starch, and wheat bran. We observed that whereas heavy metals impaired fiber fermentation outcomes for some fiber types, the presence of fibers generally protected gut microbial communities from heavy metal-induced changes, especially for Arsenic and Cadmium. Notably, the protective effects varied depending on fiber types, and heavy metal type and concentration and were overall stronger for wheat bran and pectin than other fiber types. 

Román-Ochoa, Yony et al. “Specific dietary fibers prevent heavy metal disruption of the human gut microbiota in vitro.” Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) vol. 176 (2024): 113858. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113858