Californian researchers show that exposure to PFAS, these omnipresent pollutants in our environment, promotes kidney diseases by disturbing our intestinal microbiota.
PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances used in a wide range of products, ranging from furniture to food packaging. These chemicals are often described as “eternal pollutants” because they accumulate in the environment or the human body and take a long time to decompose. They increase the risk of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic kidney disease, but biological mechanisms are misunderstood. “PFAS cause endocrine disturbances and low -dose immunotoxicityexplains Joseph Pizzorno, author of the book Toxic – the solution. In other words, exposure to these substances can either stimulate or unbalance the immune system, thus increasing the risk of infection and autoimmune conditions. »»
PFAS would also contribute to diabetes and obesity by influencing sensitivity to insulin.
Read: PFAS, Insulin resistance factors (subscribers)
The impact of PFAS on kidney health and microbiota
Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles analyzed the data of 78 people, aged 17 to 22, who participated in a vast study aimed at understanding the effects of health pollution in South California (1). Thanks to blood and stool samples, the researchers evaluated exposure to PFAS, the composition of the intestinal microbiota and circulating metabolites, many of which are produced by the microbiota. Four years later, a second series of renal function data was collected.
“Almost everyone has pfas in the blood, and these chemicals are associated with a number of negative health effects”said DRE Hailey Hampson, the main author of this study in a press release (2).
The researchers found that an increased exposure to the PFASs was associated with a deterioration of the renal function four years later. According to them, changes in the intestinal microbiota and associated metabolites would explain up to 50 % of the loss of kidney function. So there Reduction of anti-inflammatory metabolites (short chain fatty acids) and bacteria that produce them is linked to kidney problems. “This indicates that inflammation and oxidative stress are potential mechanisms, and it is therefore an area on which future research can be concentrated”concluded Hailey Hampson.
Conversely, a good microbiota could protect us from PFAS.
A healthy microbiota: protection against environmental PFAS
In July 2025, a surprising study by the University of Cambridge revealed an unprecedented function of the microbiome: protection against chemical pollutants. Thus, nine human bacterial species can absorb up to 74 % of PFAS (3). As with immunity, our microbiome therefore forms an active barrier against chemical contamination.
Bacteria store PFAS in the form of aggregates, protecting themselves while eliminating them from the intestinal environment. This sequestration of PFAS by certain bacteria could explain that we are not all equal in the face of metabolic pathologies, beyond traditional factors.
The modern way of life, impoverished our flora, would compromise this natural defense. Ultra-transformed foods create a double peril: exposure to PFAS via packaging and weakening of microbial defenses.
How to reduce PFAS in our environment
To avoid polluting your body with these toxic molecules, it is better to eliminate them from its environment, when possible. Currently food packaging contains, including pizza boxes which are treated with PFAS to make them resistant to heat, water and fats. From 2026, these food packaging will no longer be able to contain them in Europe (4).
PFAS are also present in stoves and pans with teflon coatings, rain clothes, on furniture with antitache fabrics, sleeping bags, shoes … For example, you can choose a “healthy” kitchen battery, especially since these utensils are in contact with our food. To be replaced by: stainless steel, cast iron without coating, glass, ceramic without heavy metals. Ideally, limit their use and cooking temperatures and replace them at the slightest scratch.
Read: Materials for stoves and pans: those to avoid, those to favor (subscribers)
But we cannot avoid all the chemicals in our environment. “Your body stores a large number of toxic substancessaid Joseph Pizzorno. It stores them in your bones, your brain, blood and fat. »» So many molecules that will have to be eliminated, provided you have an effective detoxification system.
