Microplastics in food and drinks damage our livers and affect metabolism, scientists say

South China Morning Post

4 days ago

'Waiter, there are fragments of synthetic polymers in my soup' does not have quite the ring to it as the old joke about the unappetising fly.
Research presented at an American Society for Nutrition conference in Orlando, Florida, that ended this week suggests that food and drink are much more likely to harbour harmful plastics than toxic bugs.
Microscopic plastic particles found in food and beverages may affect glucose metabolism and harm organs such as the liver,' according to scientists at the University of California, Davis, who warned that despite 'ubiquitous exposure' to microplastics and nanoplastics, the health implications have yet not been 'fully elucidated'.
'Our observations that oral ingestion of polystyrene nanoplastics contributes to
glucose intolerance and signs of liver injury, confirm and extend what has been recently reported on the effects of nanoplastics in animal models,' the team warned, after comparing mice exposed to plastics to others that were not exposed.
Increasing levels of plastic pollution have led to plastic breaking down into tiny shards called microplastics and nanoplastics that are eaten by animals and pass into the human food chain. Photo: Shutterstock
'With the growing concern around micro- and nanoplastic exposure, we wanted to evaluate the impact of this exposure on health,' said Amy Parkhurst of the University of California Davis.