Not only were there more microplastics in the brain than in liver or kidney tissue, but microplastic concentrations were higher in the brains of dementia patients than in those without it.
“Ultra-processed foods now comprise more than 50% of energy intake in countries like the United States, and these foods contain significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than whole foods,” Fabiano said. “Recent findings show these particles can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in alarming quantities.”
In the papers, the researchers hypothesize that microplastics could be the missing link in UPFs’ impact on brain health, by connecting it to data such as UPFs like chicken nuggets contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than chicken breasts—highlighting how processing could increase microplastic content.
“Ultra-processed foods have been linked to adverse mental health through inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetics, mitochondrial dysfunction, and disruptions to neurotransmitter systems. Microplastics appear to operate through remarkably similar pathways,” said Wolfgang Marx from Deakin University’s Food & Mood Center in Australia.
Researchers are now looking to understand to what extent ultra-processed foods are responsible for adverse brain health outcomes, and what to do about it. The authors propose the development of a Dietary Microplastic Index, which would quantify people’s exposure through food consumption.
“As the levels of ultra-processed foods, microplastics, and adverse mental health outcomes simultaneously rise, it is imperative that we further investigate this potential association,” said Fabiano. “After all, you are what you eat.”
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