Microplastics in food, water and even the air we breathe could cause deadly blood clots to form in the brain, a group of experts has found.
This could increase the risk of stroke and psychiatric illnesses such as depression, the Chinese researchers suggested.
The findings raised concerns that small particles, which “shed” from plastic items into food or the environment, could also be linked to the development of dementia.
Microplastics are small enough to enter the brain’s microcirculation.
Once inside, they trigger an immune system reaction that leads to the formation of clots that restrict blood flow.
Tests on mice injected with microplastics found that those who developed these clots showed signs of “neurological impairment.”
Scientists have found microplastics in human brain tissue before, but the exact mechanism by which these small particles cause damage was unknown.
Restricted blood flow to the brain is a known cause of vascular dementia, although the new study, published in Scientific advancesdidn’t look at this specifically.
Research has revealed that small pieces of plastic found in everything from the air we breathe to our food and water can cause blood clots in the brain. stock image
Chinese scientists found that microplastics small enough to cross the highly sensitive barrier designed to protect sensitive brain tissue caused a potentially dangerous immune reaction.
Lead author Haipeng Huang, an environmental science expert at Peking University, said the results were worrying and warranted further research in monkeys to more closely mimic what might be happening in humans.
“The possible long-term effects of (microplastics) on neurological disorders such as depression and cardiovascular health are concerning,” he wrote.
‘This study provides a theoretical basis and focused direction for understanding potential health risks.
“It is urgent and essential to increase investment in this area of research.”
In the study itself, experts injected mice with special fluorescent microplastics and then used complex imaging technology to track the particles’ infiltration into the brain and how they interacted with the immune system.
They also had the mice perform a series of mental tests designed to assess whether the microplastics were affecting their ability to think.
Mice with clots were found to perform worse when remembering the layout of a maze and had decreased motor function.
It is not the first study to link microplastics, which measure less than 5 mm, with brain damage and dementia.
Experts say you can reduce your exposure to microplastics by swapping plastics in your home for natural materials, metal and glass.
Small pieces of microplastic, seen here as black dots, were found in semen samples from 36 participants in a Chinese trial.
It is currently believed that around 900,000 Britons suffer from this memory-robbing disorder. But scientists at University College London estimate this figure will rise to 1.7 million within two decades as people live longer. It marks a 40 percent increase from the previous forecast in 2017.
Another study in mice, conducted in 2022, found that microplastics cause chronic inflammation in the organ that can damage brain cells.
And last year’s analysis of human cadavers found that people who had died with dementia had 10 times more microplastics by weight than healthy people, although this study was small with just 12 patients with the condition.
While the long-term effects of microplastics on human health remain unclear, concern is growing partly because avoiding them is almost impossible.
A recent study even found that a single tea bag could release billions of dangerous microplastics into the body.
Microplastics are found in air, water, food, cosmetics and clothing and have been found in various human tissues, including the intestines and even in men’s sperm.
There is growing evidence that plastics could play a key role in the early genesis of cancer, where healthy cells become cancerous.
Earlier this year, a study found that cancer cells in the intestine spread at an accelerated rate after contact with microplastics.
Experts have also raised the alarm about the potential between microplastics and reproductive health.
Around 944,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with dementia, while in the US the figure is around 7 million.
Dementia is incurable and has a variety of causes, with Alzheimer’s disease and the vascular form of the disorder being some of the most common.
Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties, and language problems are common early symptoms of dementia, which then worsen over time.
A separate analysis by Alzheimer’s Research UK found that 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared to 69,178 the previous year, making it the biggest cause of death in the country.