Every week, without realizing it, we ingest a quantity of microplastics equal to the weight of a credit card. A disturbing fact, which becomes even more alarming in light of new research that reveals the journey of these invisible particles once introduced into our organism.
Not only do they travel undisturbed along the gastrointestinal tract, but they manage to cross the intestinal barrier to reach and accumulate in crucial organs such as the kidneys, liver and brain, altering their metabolic pathways. A discovery that sheds a sinister light on the pervasiveness of this silent threat and the potential risks to our health.
An omnipresent and invisible enemy
Microplastics are everywhere: inwater we drink, in food we eat, In 'air we breathe. In clouds. Even in our heart. These tiny fragments, resulting from the degradation of plastic waste, have become a constant presence in our daily lives, as ubiquitous as they are difficult to locate.
According to scientists' estimates, every week we ingest on average 5 grams of microplastic particles, the equivalent, in fact, of a credit card. An image that makes tangible the extent of this continuous and involuntary exposure to a material foreign to our organism.
Beyond the intestinal barrier: the journey to vital organs
But what happens to these particles once introduced into our body? This is the question that pushed the researchers ofUniversity of New Mexico to conduct a pioneering study on the effects of microplastics on the body. The results, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (I link them to you here) are anything but reassuring. Through experiments on mice, the team led by Dr. Eliseo Castillo has shown that microplastics do not simply transit the gastrointestinal tract, but are capable of crossing the intestinal barrier and migrating into distant tissues such as the liver, kidneys and even the brain.
Metabolic alterations and health risks
The presence of microplastics in organs so critical to our well-being raises disturbing questions about possible health consequences. The study highlighted that these particles are capable of altering metabolic pathways in the affected tissues, an observation that suggests potential repercussions on the functioning of these organs.
Again: Dr. Castillo highlights the risk of an accumulation of microplastics in the body over the years. If even a short four-week exposure was enough to cause detectable changes in healthy animals, what does exposure that lasts from birth to old age mean?
The “death journey” of microplastics. Damage to immune cells
Another worrying element that emerged from the research concerns the interaction between microplastics and the immune system. In a previous study, Dr.'s team. Castillo had observed that when i macrophages (the key cells in the body's defense) encounter and incorporate microplastics, their function is altered, leading them to release inflammatory molecules.
A phenomenon that could have significant implications in the case of chronic inflammatory pathologies of the intestine, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, in which macrophages already tend to be hyperactive and more abundant.
Future prospects: diet and awareness
The studies by the University of New Mexico represent only the beginning of a journey of understanding which will necessarily involve other aspects, such as the role of diet in the absorption of these particles.
It will be important to understand if and how different eating habits can influence the path and accumulation of microplastics in the organism, and to delve deeper into the mechanisms through which these particles alter the intestinal microbiota.
These findings are a call to action. Yet another. We need to rethink our plastic production, consumption and disposal habits. When we do it, it will always be late: then, we will ask ourselves how we managed to reduce ourselves to this state.
