Effects of

Introduction: Approximately one-third of the world's children have elevated blood lead levels (BLLs), which may lead to often-irreversible decreased intelligence, behavioral difficulties, and learning problems. Identification and removal of the source of lead, along with good nutrition, are the only advocated initial management, with chelation therapy for higher threshold BLLs. Probiotics have shown promising beneficial effects pre-clinically. Here, we investigated the safety and efficacy of the probiotic Methods: Children aged 3-12 years with elevated BLLs (>3.5 μg/dL) were enrolled in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multi-centered study and received either probiotic (1 × 10 Results: Overall, 66 children were randomized, 54 received intervention (probiotic; Conclusion: This study adds to previous findings suggesting that probiotic intervention may be a promising additional strategy to help reduce BLLs and their detrimental effects in children. Due to the preliminary nature of this study, larger studies investigating the effects of the strain alone, with a longer intervention period, are warranted to confirm the benefits observed. Clinical trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04891666.