Forever Chemicals Suppress Immunity – How to Detox and Repair

New Research Shows How PFAS Suppress Immunity — Medicinal Mushrooms Offer Multi-targeted Defense  

Known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment without biodegrading, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have become a widespread source of environmental contamination with far-reaching health impacts. Prior research demonstrates that PFAS are linked to liver, thyroid, reproductive, and endocrine damage; obesity, and cancer. Recently, data shows how PFAS significantly suppress immune system function by reducing the activity and functionality of human immune cells, shedding new light on the serious health implications of these ubiquitous chemicals.¹ 

PFAS include roughly 10,000 different compounds widely used in non-stick coatings, food packaging, cosmetics and body care, clothing, and more. These water and oil-repellent and heat resistant chemicals are highly durable and persistent, can be found in water, air and soil samples, and bioaccumulate. They have been universally detected in human blood samples around the world, including among people living in remote locations without direct exposure to PFAS. A growing body of research points to long-term health complications including genotoxic effects across multiple generations.  

PFAS Suppress Immunity at Cellular and Genetic Levels  

In this recent immune study published in Chemosphere, researchers at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research examined PFAS exposure on immune cells using an immunological method they developed with fluorescent dyes to detect up to 30 markers in a blood sample. This allowed them to identify different immune cell types and view their activation responses. Immune cells were isolated from healthy donors and exposed to various PFAS for 20 hours. They then stimulated the immune cells to determine how active they were following exposure.¹ 

Results clearly showed that PFAS suppressed immune cell function and activity, particularly among T-cells. The PFAS exposed T-cells displayed reduced cellular communication and recruitment of additional immune cells. Researchers concluded that PFAS can reduce antibody production and increase infection rates. The strongest changes occurred when multiple PFAS types were combined, demonstrating a compounding effect consistent with environmental exposure. Results from gene analysis demonstrated similar results, showing that genes involved in T-cell activation were down-regulated following exposure to PFAS.  

With the emergence of increasingly virulent infectious agents around the world, and the continued distribution of PFAS throughout the environment, the immunosuppressive impacts of PFAS and other immune damaging environmental chemicals should not be underestimated.  

The US public health costs of PFAS exposure alone are estimated to be over $60 billion dollars over the population lifetime.² 

Medicinal Mushrooms: Multifunctional Solution to Toxic Burden  

As rates of environmental illnesses rise, awareness of toxin risks to human health is increasing. Researchers continue to investigate novel methods to ameliorate the effects of human exposure to industrial toxins. One promising approach emerging from the scientific community is the use of medicinal mushrooms both as environmental remediation tools for pollution clean-up, and as dietary supplements to help detoxify the body and repair cellular damage caused by environmental toxins and resulting oxidative stress.   

Mushrooms have powerful binding abilities and are excellent detoxification agents that also help to repair damaged areas of the body and improve functionality in multiple organs and systems.   

Importantly, recent research shows that beta glucans, a component of mushrooms, can help reduce toxicity of PFAS as well as other environmental pollutants such as mercury.³

Other animal research demonstrates that:  

• Reishi mushroom reduces accumulation of PFAS in the liver and kidneys⁴ 

• Lion’s mane mushroom reduces PFAS in the blood⁵ 
• Shiitake mushroom reduces PFAS in the blood and liver⁶ 

Medicinal mushrooms are rich in therapeutic compounds including beta glucans and other components that offer powerful detoxification support for toxic body burden of environmental pollutants. Together with immune modulatory and immune enhancing benefits, medicinal mushrooms excel at providing multi-targeted defense against the immunosuppressive actions of PFAS and other environmental toxins.  

As recognition increases regarding the detrimental impacts of industrial toxins in human and environmental health, we can expect further innovative research into the broad-spectrum remediation benefits offered by mushrooms for cleaning up hazardous toxins and restoring biological balance in the process.