4,800 micrograms. That’s how much microplastic researchers have found in every gram of human brain tissue. This startling discovery is just the tip of the iceberg, and the race is on to find solutions.
The equivalent of a teaspoon. That’s the amount of microplastics found on average in a brain, according to a study by American scientists published in the journal Nature Medicine last March.
On average, they estimate that an individual has 4,800 micrograms of microplastic per gram of brain tissue. But these substances are also found in the kidneys, lungs, and blood. It is estimated that these particles, invisible to the naked eye, can enter the body via food, water, and polluted air, but much about them remains to be discovered.
However, we know that plastic is a material with a particularly long degradation time — 450 years for a plastic bottle, according to the public organisation IFP Energies Nouvelles — and that it is currently impossible to knowingly evacuate them from the body.
However, an international team of scientists may be on the verge of finding a component that can eliminate microplastics and reduce their harmful effects. This component is present in several foods.
Red fruits and vegetables
This is demonstrated in the article they published in November 2024 in the specialised journal Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis and recently relayed by Well and Good. They highlight a “somewhat special” type of antioxidant.
These are anthocyanins, water-soluble antioxidants that give certain fruits and vegetables their red or purple colour, such as beetroot, black grapes, or cherries. They are also part of the flavonoid category, found in large quantities in green tea and chocolate, known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Consuming these foods could therefore be particularly useful in limiting the effects of microplastics on the body.
Antioxidants versus microplastics
To understand how this works, we must first understand how these nanoparticles affect the body. It is estimated that they cause an increase in oxidative stress, “a phenomenon linked to the fact that our body constantly produces toxic substances for our cells: free radicals,” explains Inserm.
Faced with this stress, the body’s detoxification system, which allows us to get rid of these substances, is not enough. This leads to an accumulation of free radicals that damage cells. But precisely, anthocyanins are particularly effective in fighting free radicals and can reverse the effects of oxidative stress.
In addition, some scientists have shown that microplastics particularly affect reproductive function. And, according to this study, anthocyanins could have beneficial effects on the hormonal system and thus improve reproductive health.
However, while regular consumption of foods containing anthocyanins, such as tomatoes, blackberries, or plums, could help “cancel out” the effects of these pollutants on the body, research still needs to advance to draw reliable conclusions.
It is therefore always recommended to avoid contact with microplastics as much as possible, although it is impossible to escape them entirely. “Use metal or glass for food containers. Try to avoid single-use plastics,” recommends Jamie Alan, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, to Well and Good.
This article was originally published by Rosa-Lou Boccard-Seltzer on the Marie Claire France website.
