September 5, 2024 – Microplastics: the tiny particles scattered throughout our food, beauty products and even the air we breathe.
Research has shown that microplastics could cause a variety of health effects, from heart disease and strokes to digestive problems, and may even cause cancer.
But did you already know that these microscopic parts can even cause weight gain? Microplastics can affect our levels Cortisolor stress hormones, said Christopher Thompson, MD, a Harvard Medical School researcher who focuses on weight reduction.
“Microplastics are hormone disruptors and can mimic cortisol, estrogen and other hormones,” he said.
Cortisol is a hormone present in our body that helps regulate and lower our blood sugar inflammationand keep our blood pressure under control. It is thought that top cortisol levels have a negative impact on our weight. Too much of this stress hormone can lead to emphasize Cushing's syndromewhich may cause and trigger weight gain in the course of the body, across the neck and face High blood pressure.
“Cortisol is linked to obesity in many ways, and people recognize it as such,” Thompson said. “If you have microplastics that mimic cortisol and the effects of cortisol, you can see how this is related to weight gain.”
Here's what makes this difficult. Microplastics are mostly present in… highly processed foods – similar to hot dogs, chips and cookies – which make up greater than half of the adult eating regimen within the US, after to the CDC.
“We know that highly processed foods can be quite damaging to metabolism,” said Angel Nadal, PhD, a professor of physiology at Miguel Hernandez University in Elche, Spain. “I wouldn’t neglect microplastics and that endocrine disrupting effectas an important factor.”
Microplastics will be tougher to detect and measure than other environmental challenges of the past – similar to Heavy metals – Therefore, recent tracking methods are needed to seek out more data on their risks and effects, said Andrew West, PhD, a neurology professor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.
“These are new types of molecules that we have never seen before in our daily exposures,” he said. “Concentrations continue to rise as we release more into the environment, and they return as smaller and smaller particles (making them harder for us to find). If they eventually integrate into important pathways that determine health outcomes, I think that will have important implications that we need to better understand.”
There are ways to limit exposure to microplastics.
“You should never microwave your food in a plastic container because these plastics will transfer to your food more quickly,” Thompson said. “That’s exactly what they do when they process food: they heat parts of the food in plastic, combine them together and put them in a plastic wrapper.”
It is essential to notice that in today's world it’s not possible to completely avoid microplastics. That's why it must be your goal Reduce your exposure as an alternative, Thompson said. You can do that by eating whole foods that aren't packaged in plastic, like meat, fruits, and vegetables. They must also attempt to avoid using plastic water bottles and eating utensils, in addition to plastic cutting boards, he said.
“You have to develop a plan to minimize microplastic consumption,” Thompson said. “There is nothing proven to remove microplastics from the human body. Still, there is some early research that suggests certain probiotics may be able to help lock them in your poop.”
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an FDA-approved industrial chemical used in certain plastic products – such as water bottles and food containers says When taken in small doses, it is usually secure for humans. “Such chemicals have been shown to cause metabolic disorders in animals. Insulin resistanceand increase the weight,” said Nadal. “In humans, epidemiological studies have linked exposure to these chemicals to diabetes and obesity.”
You can have seen some packaging labeled “BPA free.” However, “BPA free” doesn’t mean it’s secure, Thompson said. Manufacturers often replace BPA with its “chemical cousins,” bisphenol F and bisphenol S. These chemicals are also hormone disruptors, he warned.
“We are allowed to have these chemical substitutions and they give us a false sense of security because they have to be safe for my child or myself,” Thompson said. “Well, it’s not that. They’re all plastics: it’s not about finding the one that doesn’t contain harmful chemicals.”