March 10, 2025 - Micro and Nanoplastics Are Implicated in Cardiovascular Disease

New England Journal of Medicine states plastics are implicated in Cardiovascular Disease Risk.
 
Plastic is everywhere in today’s environment.  As we have been stating in our seminars this past year, we see negative repercussions on our overall health and especially on cardiovascular health from micro and nanoplastics. A recent New England Journal of Medicine article demonstrated that patients have microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) detected in their carotid arteries.  These carotid plaques were stated to have had higher risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause.
 
Plastics enter the human body from inhalation, skin contact, and mainly through ingestion. Heating certain plastics increases plastic particle concentration, which leaches into containers and is then consumed.  One study demonstrated that microwaving plastic containers for 3 minutes releases 4.22 million microplastics and 2.11 billion nanoplastics per square centimeter.  This is concerning and is accumulative as the body has a hard time getting rid of these contaminants.  When plastic containers are refrigerated or even at room temperature, they are releasing MNPs.  Heating is the most detrimental it seems by current testing.
 
A two-part study was published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.  The studies evaluated the effects of plastic on the cardiovascular system. Researchers employed a questionnaire-based assessment and a rat study to investigate underlying mechanisms.
 
Questionnaires were distributed randomly to 3179 people looking for a correlation between plastic exposure frequency and self-reported CVD. After adjusting for relevant factors (age, sex, ethnicity, residence, income, education level, eating, exercise, smoking, drinking, income, marital status, sleep quality), more frequent plastic exposure was associated with congestive heart failure (CHF).

The second part of the study involved rats consuming leachate from disposable plastic takeout containers exposed to boiling water for 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 15 minutes over three months. Rat cardiac tissue was studied by staining and electron microscopy. They noticed inflammatory cell infiltration, mitochondrial swelling, myocardial fiber rupture, and increased serum indicators of oxidative stress and inflammation. Effects were seen in all 3 groups and worse in rats fed leachate with the longest plastic contact time. Myocardial inflammation contributes to endothelial dysfunction, myocardial fibrosis, left ventricular hypertrophy, and increases the risk of heart failure.

The group also studied rat fecal samples for microbiota and metabolomics analysis. The microbiome’s connection to every organ is becoming more evident as hundreds of studies are published each year. This study showed altered gut microbiota diversity, composition, and metabolites in rats receiving the plastic leachate compared to controls. This alteration may play a role in inflammatory changes and oxidative stress impacting CVD.

Some feel there were limitations with the study. It found that increased plastic exposure was linked to CHF in older adults, who may have higher exposure due to convenience factors like takeout or microwave meals. These foods, often of lower quality, can contribute to CVD, and the study didn’t clarify whether diet quality was considered.
 
More studies need to be accomplished to prove causality. MNPs have been found in other human tissues including lungs, liver, placenta, breast milk, urine, and blood. Plastics contain endocrine disrupting chemicals and have carcinogenic potential.

We need to encourage all patients to decrease plastic use and never eat or drink food or liquid from heated plastic containers.  Freezing water and then drinking it as it becomes liquid is thought to release increased amounts of MNP’s.

OHS has utilized a company that tests the amount of plastics in our body and the results of taking their Chemzyme product.  Chemzyme has proved over and over to reduce the microplastics contamination by helping the body to release it.




Yours in Health and Wellness,
John W Brimhall, DC, BA, BS, FIAMA, DIBAK