In case you haven’t heard, microplastics are taking over the planet. Scientists find them in every nook and cranny of the earth. And it’s kind of scary since microplastics contain BPA, phthalates, and other toxins proven to harm human health.
But you may still be wondering what the heck microplastics even are.
What Are Microplastics?
Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than five millimeters in length. That’s about the size of a sesame seed. These little pieces of plastic come from larger pieces that break down. They also come from microbeads, small polyethylene plastic added to some beauty and personal care products.
The Average Brain May Contain A Spoonful Of Plastic
The number of tiny bits of plastic in human brains increased dramatically between 2016 and 2024, with the highest amounts found in the brains of people who had died of dementia.
By 2024, the average brain studied by scientists at the University of New Mexico contained the equivalent of one plastic throw-away spoon, about 7 grams worth.
Sources Of Microplastics
It’s been known for years that our lakes and oceans are filled with microplastics. That’s because plastic garbage ends up in the earth’s bodies of water, where it eventually gets broken down into microplastics. The microbeads in beauty and personal care products also flow into the water supply from our drains. Once microplastics are in the water, they get absorbed by fish. And since we eat fish, they end up in us.
Seafood and Microplastic Contamination
Seafood has a reputation for being nutritious and good for you. Eating seafood offers a lean, low-calorie, high-quality protein source with essential omega-3 fatty acid content and anti-inflammatory properties. Unfortunately, most seafood will also carry a whopping helping of microplastics and the chemicals carried by those plastics. Mussels, scallops, and oysters (aka mollusks) have the highest levels of microplastic contamination of any seafood you can eat.
Crops Absorb Microplastics
A recent study found that microplastics end up in crops. I mentioned earlier how microplastics get into our bodies of water but are in our soil, too. Microplastic pollution on land may be four to 23 times greater than it is in water.
Microplastics end up in soil in various ways, including sewage, which is used as fertilizer for crops.
How Crops Absorb Microplastics
Microplastics of up to 2 micrometers in size can penetrate plant roots. More specifically, microplastics from soil and water enter crops like lettuce and wheat through cracks at the emerging sites of new lateral roots. These microplastics can then be transferred to the part of the plant we eat.
If microplastics are in our crops, they’re also in our meat and dairy products because of the type of food fed to livestock. So, they’ve infiltrated our whole food system.
What Does That Mean For Our Health?
We know that microplastics contain BPA, phthalates, and other toxins that have been shown in many studies to pose a danger to human health, particularly concerning our hormones. Studies in fish also show that eating plastic particles leads to liver problems and even tumor development. Unfortunately, avoiding microplastics in your food isn’t an option these days. You can’t wholly escape microplastics even by consuming organic fruits and vegetables.
Can Our Bodies Expel Microplastics?
The good news is that some of the microplastics you inevitably consume in your diet get released from your body in your urine, bile, feces, and other bodily fluids and wastes. Chemicals like BPA have been found in sweat, which means your body may release them this way.
Ways to Reduce Microplastic Exposure
Although you can’t totally avoid them, there are ways to reduce your exposure to microplastics, like not using plastic tea bags and using a reverse osmosis filters that can filter them out of your water. Additionally, stop using plastic food storage containers or plastic dishware and cups. Use glass instead. Avoid buying food packaged in plastic or storing food using plastic wrap. Also, avoid drinking bottled water in plastic bottles.
Regardless, microplastics have been found throughout the human body, breaching the blood-brain barrier in mere seconds, lodging in blood clots and arterial plaques, and taking up residency in other organs like the liver and kidneys. Microplastics have also been found in the testicles and semen of males, ovarian tissue, placenta, and breast milk of females, and even in fetuses.
Microplastics contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that wreak havoc on our hormones and their functions. They’re also linked to disease-causing inflammation.
The Secret Lies in Potent Polyphenols
It’s easy to feel helpless against microplastics when they’re in the water we drink and the food we eat. However, certain types of food contain a secret substance that detoxifies microplastics.
Why Anthocyanins Matter
Antioxidants such as polyphenols are the substances that give fruits, vegetables, and flowers their vibrant colors. Anthocyanins, a particularly potent group of polyphenols, are abundant in red, blue, and purple produce and some nuts. Eating foods high in anthocyanins can drastically reduce acute inflammation and oxidative stress — two disease hallmarks.
Anthocyanin consumption can protect against a range of microplastic-induced effects on hormones, reductions in testosterone and estrogen, decreased sperm counts, lower sperm quality, erectile dysfunction, and ovarian damage.
Some anthocyanins have demonstrated the ability to protect the integrity of the blood testis barrier, which prevents microplastics from entering the tissue. Anthocyanins can help restore testosterone production by protecting the cells responsible for producing it.
In women, anthocyanins can mitigate microplastics’ impact on fertility and sexual development. Anthocyanins protect the ovarian tissue and normalize levels of estrogen and other hormones.
Anthocyanins hold the potential to significantly reduce the toxic impact of microplastic consumption, offering a beacon of hope in the face of this environmental health crisis.
Anthocyanins Against Microplastics
The hormone disruption caused by microplastics can also impact heart and brain health. Previous studies investigating anthocyanins show their mighty antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties promote heart and brain health.
Foods Rich in Anthocyanins
The best sources of anthocyanins include:
• Blue, purple, or red-skinned berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, elderberries, cranberries, and bilberries
• Dark cherries
• Purple grapes (which also contain the powerful antioxidant resveratrol)
• Red cabbage (which contains over 36 different kinds of anthocyanins)
• Eggplants
• Purple asparagus
• Pomegranates
Other Natural Ways to Defend Against Microplastics
You can also protect yourself from the harmful effects of microplastics by consuming more antioxidants like vitamins A, E, and C. Quercetin, found in onions and garlic, protects you as well as the Omega 3’s in fish oil. Omega 3 helps with the detoxification of microplastics. Probiotics reduce microplastics by helping break them down. Glutathione is essential in the detoxification of microplastics.
To learn more about what you can do to reduce microplastics in your body, get a FREE Consultation with one of our doctors (D.C) here
Glutathione is pivotal in reducing oxidative stress, maintaining redox balance, enhancing metabolic detoxification, and regulating the immune system.
