How to Lower Lead Levels with Diet- Thiamine, Fiber, Iron, Fat, Fasting?

Iron, zinc, oil, and even doughnuts are put to the test to see if they can block lead absorption.

Subscribe to Dr. Greger’s free nutrition newsletter at and get a free excerpt from his latest NYT Bestseller HOW NOT TO DIE. (All proceeds Dr. Greger receives from his books, DVDs, and speaking directly support NutritionFacts.org).

That’s why it’s critical to “get the lead out” of our tap water. It’s estimated that most of our lead exposure comes from food, rather than water, but it’s not what we eat, it’s what we absorb. If 90% of the lead in food is blocked from absorption by the very fact that it’s in food, you could get 10 to 20 times more lead absorbed into your bloodstream consuming the same amount of lead in water drunk on an empty stomach.

Where does all this lead exposure come from anyway? Check out the first five “backgrounder” videos in this series:
• How the Lead Paint Industry Got Away With It (
• Lead in Drinking Water (
• How the Leaded Gas Industry Got Away With It (
• “Normal” Blood Lead Levels Can Be Toxic (
• The Effects of Low-Level Lead Exposure in Adults (

More on blocking lead absorption coming up, as well as what to eat to help rid oneself of lead you’ve already built up:
• How to Lower Lead Levels with Diet: Breakfast, Whole Grains, Milk, Tofu? (
• Best Foods for Lead Poisoning: Chlorella, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Moringa? (
• Best Food for Lead Poisoning – Garlic (
• Can Vitamin C Help with Lead Poisoning? (
• Yellow Bell Peppers for Male Infertility and Lead Poisoning? (

Or even better, not get exposed in the first place. See my videos:
• Get the Lead Out (
• Lead Contamination of Tea (
• Lead Contamination in Bone Broth (
• Filled Full of Lead (
• California Children Are Contaminated (

Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it.

Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics.

If you’d rather watch these videos on YouTube, subscribe to my YouTube Channel here:

Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

• Subscribe:
• Donate:
• HOW NOT TO DIE:
• :
• :
• :
• Google+:
• Podcast :