Microplastics in Our Body

Scientists have found a link between inflammatory bowel diseases and microplastics. According to the findings, people with these diseases either accumulate too much microplastic in their bodies, or those who have microplastics in their bodies get this disease more easily.

Unfortunately, microplastics enter our bodies in very small quantities with everything we eat and drink. So much so that it can be found on the body of even newborn babies. It's microplastic if we go to the sea, microplastic if we apply face cream, it's the same if we drink water... We know that microplastics are not good for our health, but a new study has revealed its relevance to chronic diseases.

A recent study examined the stools of people with and without 'inflammatory bowel disease' (IBD). IBDs define a group of intestinal diseases that are thought to be caused by hereditary or environmental factors, the cause of which is unknown. In the study, the amount of microplastics in the stools of people with IBD was considerably higher than that of people without the disease. So there may be a link between this disease and microplastics.

Which causes which?

Pieces of plastic between 5 millimeters and 1 micrometer in size are called microplastics. Even though we can't see these parts, they enter our body even from the water we drink from the plastic bottle, and then they are thrown away over time. So, can some people have more plastic in their bodies send a message about their digestive systems?

Yes, according to a new finding from researchers from Nanjing University in China. Researchers examined the stools of 52 people with inflammatory bowel disease and 50 people who did not have the disease. Both sides were balanced in terms of demographic characteristics of the participants, such as age. More microplastics were found in the stool of individuals with this disease, which causes chronic inflammation in the intestines and therefore symptoms such as recurrent diarrhea, pain, fatigue and weight loss from time to time, compared to the other group.

This could mean two things. First, excessive accumulation of microplastics in the body can cause inflammatory bowel disease. Second, inflammatory bowel disease may be making it difficult for microplastics to be eliminated from the body. In fact, both of these possibilities can be true at the same time. The study offers the link, not the cause. However, more comprehensive studies can be done based on this connection.