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PFAS are persistent industrial compounds. They are present in water, food and everyday objects. And worry the health authorities. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set a tolerable weekly intake of 4.4 ng per kilogram of body weight for four PFAS.
Faced with this diffuse pollution, a team of researchers wanted to know what could reduce the quantity in our body. It’s about eating more dietary fiber.
In this study published in the journal Environmental Health72 men drank a drink enriched with oat beta-glucana rice-based drink low in fiber.
According to Boston University researchers, the sum of six long-chain PFAS dropped by approximately 8% in the oat group. There was no significant decline in the control group. And this, while all presented levels considered worrying.
How fiber influences PFAS
Researchers explain that soluble fiber like oat beta-glucan swells in the intestine and forms a gel. This gel binds to bile acids and cholesterol. But not only that.
PFAS like PFOA or PFOS, which behave like surfactants, can cling to it and be passed out in the stool instead of entering the bloodstream.
An experimental rat study published via
ScienceDirect also observed the same thing. A diet rich in soluble fiber increased fecal excretion of PFOS and decreased its concentration in blood.
An observational analysis of NHANES data estimates that 5 g of additional fiber per day is associated with 10% less PFOS.
Persistent PFAS: What Fiber Can Change
PFAS remain stubborn pollutants. EFSA indicates thatfoodespecially fish and seafood, offal, certain eggs, milk and cereals, is the main source of exposure in Europe.
The NGO Générations Futures showed in 2025 that many products contained it. Additionally, many PFAS have a half-life of several years in the human body. Which explains their accumulation.
The fibers seem to act mainly on the flow of PFAS in and out, not erase the stock already present. With half-lives this long, an 8% drop in four weeks is still a boost. Jennifer Schlezinger, lead author of the study, insists on the need for longer trials and recalls that no fiber supplement replaces the reduction of sources of exposure.
Increase your fiber without forgetting PFAS
For everyday life, aiming for 25 to 30 g of fiber per day via fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains or oatmeal improves health. It is better to increase gradually, hydrate well and limit food packaging made from plant fibers treated with PFAS.