This is caused by arsenobetaine, which is often found in seafood. It can be converted into partially toxic substances by intestinal bacteria.
Arsenobetaine is one of the most frequently occurring arsenic compounds in seafood, including algae, fish and shellfish, the University of Bern said on Monday. Arsenobetaine was previously considered low-risk for humans due to its low toxicity and rapid excretion. According to the researchers, the results of an interdisciplinary study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials call into question the safety of seafood rich in arsenobetaine.
The University of Bern research team investigated the arsenobetaine metabolism of mice with different intestinal microbial colonisation status. Three groups of mice were fed an arsenobetaine-rich diet to compare arsenic metabolism, distribution in the body and excretion.
Mice with gut microbes accumulated a higher concentration of arsenic in their intestinal tract than germ-free mice. The researchers observed the formation of specific highly toxic arsenic compounds in the large intestine of microbially colonised mice.
In conventional mice which were switched to a low-arsenic diet, the excretion of arsenic from the body was significantly slower than in germ-free mice.
“Intestinal microbes therefore play a decisive role in the metabolism of arsenobetaine in the body. In this case, however, the microbiome appears to have a harmful effect,” intestinal microbiome expert Siegfried Hapfelmeier said in the press release.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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