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Scientists Identify Possible Link Between Microplastics and Brain Health
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Research points to the potential health repercussions of microplastics. Now, a study seeks to explain how these nanoparticles enter the human brain (of which up to a 'spoonful' may be present!) and the potential impact they may have on our overall health.
Microplastics are plastic particles that are smaller than five millimeters in size, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Four papers published in the May issue of the journal Brain Medicine explain how research suggests that microplastics from ultra-processed foods may build up in the brain. Those microplastics could be a factor in rising rates of depression, dementia, and other mental health disorders around the world, the researchers argue.
Meet the experts: Clifford Segil, D.O., is a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA; Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D., is a toxicologist at MedStar Health; Jamie Alan, Ph.D., is an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University; Jo Ellen Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
This is considered the most comprehensive analysis so far of how microplastics could impact brain health. Considering that a recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine determined that there's about a plastic spoon's worth of microplastics in the average human brain, all of these papers are worth paying attention to.
Here's what the study found, plus what doctors want you to keep in mind going forward to protect against microplastics.
The scientific papers dive into recent research surrounding microplastics in the brain, along with the potential impact on mental health. One paper hypothesizes that microplastic exposure from ultra-processed foods is contributing to the growth of a range of mental health issues. It points out that ultra-processed foods make up more than 50% of the calories people in countries like the U.S. eat, noting that these foods contain much higher concentrations of microplastics than whole foods.
The papers point to research that links ultra-processed food to poor mental health outcomes, like a review published in The BMJ that found that people who ate ultra-processed foods had a 22% higher risk of depression, 48% higher risk of anxiety, and 41% higher risk of poor sleep outcomes. The researchers suggest that microplastics could be the missing link between these two factors, citing the example of foods like chicken nuggets, which contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than chicken breasts.
Another scientific paper breaks down recent research on microplastics accumulating in the brain, noting that studies found that levels were up to five times higher in people who were diagnosed with dementia.
In one paper, Ma-Li Wong, Ph.D., M.D., a professor of psychiatry and behavioral services at Upstate Medical University, stresses that finding such a 'spoonful' of microplastics in the brain is a 'reckoning' about environmental contaminants and brain health. 'The boundary between internal and external has failed,' she wrote. 'If microplastics cross the blood-brain barrier, what else do we think remains sacred?"
Another paper looked at preliminary evidence to suggest that something known as extracorporeal therapeutic apheresis, which filters blood outside the body, may have the potential to remove microplastic particles from the blood.
It's not entirely clear how microplastics make their way into your brain, says Jamie Alan, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. However, she points to previous research that suggests these tiny particles get into your blood after you're exposed to them in the environment or your food and then cross the blood-brain barrier because they're so small.
It's not entirely clear right now. 'We do not know the long-term consequences of exposure to these,' Alan says. However, there are links being formed, especially when it comes to brain health.
'Some studies have found an association between higher levels of microplastics in the brain and certain brain disorders such as dementia, depression, and anxiety,' says Jo Ellen Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 'The direction of association of this effect remains unclear.'
She points to this debate scientists are currently having about the impact of microplastics on dementia rates: Do higher levels of microplastics in the brain cause brain disorders like dementia, or do people who have conditions like dementia, who already have a more permeable blood-brain barrier, build up more microplastics in their brain because their brains are more permeable? 'This question of causation is an important one and has not yet been answered,' Dr. Wilson says.
But the potential impact of microplastics in the brain likely depends on where the microplastics end up, says Clifford Segil, D.O., a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.
'If microplastics are truly entering the brain and affecting brain neurotransmitter function, then the effects would correlate for wherever in the brain is accumulating these microplastics,' he says. 'If the front of the brain collects microplastics, they could cause behavioral issues, versus if the temporal lobes or the side of the brain collects microplastics, they could cause cognitive issues.'
As of this moment, no. 'The idea of microplastics being able to get inside of the brain is novel, and if true, the next step would be to determine where in the brain they are accumulating, and then reverse engineer whatever method they are using to find their way into the brain to help find a way to get them out of our brains,' Dr. Segil says.
Dr. Wilson says that doing your best to reduce your exposure to microplastics may help. 'We know that by reducing your exposure to plastics, over time, you may be able to decrease microplastic burden in your body,' she says.
There is some research to suggest that eating plenty of fiber could help reduce microplastics' impact on your body, but more work is needed, says Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D., a toxicologist at MedStar Health.
Microplastics are practically everywhere, making them hard to avoid. But there are a few things you can do to try to lower your exposure to these tiny particles. 'Certain water filters, especially those that feature smaller filter pore sizes, may be able to reduce human exposure to microplastics by removing the particles from drinking water,' Dr. Johnson-Arbor says.
Avoiding the use of plastic in general—including plastic food containers and water bottles—can be helpful, but Dr. Johnson-Arbor points out that this can be a 'challenge' because plastic products are so common in everyday life. 'Even though many grocery stores don't use plastic bags at checkout, plastic products can still be found in the bags that we put fresh fruits and vegetables in at the grocery store, and the plastic wrap that covers pre-cut meat and produce,' she says.
She suggests using bamboo or wood cutting boards, since plastic boards can become damaged over time and transfer microplastics to food that is being cut.
Finally, Dr. Johnson-Arbor recommends using bamboo, metal, or glass food storage containers instead of plastic, and to avoid reheating foods in plastic containers.
Again, microplastics are all over the place, making it hard to fully cut them from your life. But doing what you can to lessen your exposure may help protect your overall health—and your brain.
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