FoundMyFitness
#095 What Microplastics Are Doing to Your Brain, Body, and Reproductive Systems
19 Sep 2024
Full Episode
Plastics are everywhere. Every week, without even realizing it, we are consuming the equivalent of an entire credit card in plastic. We are unknowingly ingesting and inhaling millions of plastic particles every year. And these tiny particles aren't just passing through, they're accumulating in our organs and our tissues. In early 2024, human brain samples were found to have, on average,
0.5% plastic by weight. In the reproductive system, higher levels of plastic like PVC have been linked to lower sperm counts. And it doesn't stop there. These microplastics are often made from or contain harmful chemicals like BPA, BPS, phthalates. These are widely used to harden plastics, make them more durable. And these chemicals are known to disrupt hormones. They alter metabolism.
They've been linked to a range of health issues from reproductive problems to neurodevelopmental diseases. But how are these microplastics entering our bodies? And why are they so pervasive? The primary roots of exposure are oral ingestion and inhalation.
We're consuming them through bottled water, through tap water, packaged foods, and even fresh produce that's contaminated by polluted soil and water. We're inhaling these microplastic particles suspended in the air, especially in urban environments where synthetic clothing fibers and degraded plastic waste become airborne. And they don't just pass through us, they are accumulating.
They've been detected in the lungs, liver, heart, brain, reproductive organs, and even in the placenta. This widespread presence raises critical questions about what these microplastic particles might do to our health. Could they be disrupting our cells, altering our brain function, contributing to chronic disease? In today's episode, we're going to dive into the reality of microplastic exposure.
We're going to discuss how these particles get into our bodies and what it might mean for our long-term health. We're going to explore how plastic could be influencing everything from our brain health to our reproductive health. And importantly, we're going to talk about actionable steps to reduce our exposure to them and help our bodies get rid of them whenever possible.
Microplastics are everywhere and they're small. They're really small. We're talking about particles ranging from five millimeters in size, so that's like the size of a grain of rice, all the way down to a hundred nanometers, which is about a thousand times smaller than a grain of sand. When they're that small, they're called nanoplastics.
And these particles are the result of larger plastic items breaking down over time through a process called oxidation. So this is a slow but relentless breakdown process. Actually more than 70% of microplastics come from this breakdown from larger plastics, while the rest are intentionally added to everyday products like microbeads and cosmetics, fibers in our synthetic clothing,
and also industrial plastics used in manufacturing. But here's the real issue. We're exposed to these microplastics almost constantly, and it's happening through two primary routes, oral ingestion and inhalation. So think about that. When we're drinking water, eating food, or simply just breathing, We're taking in microplastic particles, and the numbers are actually staggering.
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