More like discomfort food.
A collection of four papers — published Tuesday in the journal Brain Medicine — reports a disturbing link between microplastics, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and mental health.
UPFs — which are considered unhealthy because they are high in added sugars, saturated fat and sodium — include soft drinks, chips, chocolate, ice cream, processed meats, many ready-to-eat meals and mass-produced cereals.
Previous research has shown that people who eat UPFs have a substantially higher risk of depression, anxiety and poor sleep — but the role that microplastics might play in that connection has not been fully explored.
UPFs are more susceptible to microplastics than other foods due to their packaging and additives and the equipment used to process them.
As an example, the researchers pointed to chicken nuggets — which reportedly contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than chicken breasts.
“We’re seeing converging evidence that should concern us all,” Dr. Nicholas Fabiano, a psychiatry resident at the University of Ottawa in Canada, said in a statement.
“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,” he added. “Recent findings show these particles can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in alarming quantities.”
This could potentially even explain the recent bombshell news that our brains might contain an entire “spoonful” of microplastics.
“This hypothesis is particularly compelling because we see remarkable overlap in biological mechanisms,” said Dr. Wolfgang Marx, a senior research fellow at Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre in Australia.
“Ultra-processed foods have been linked to adverse mental health through inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetics, mitochondrial dysfunction and disruptions to neurotransmitter systems,” he continued. “Microplastics appear to operate through remarkably similar pathways.”
While further research is needed on the purported link between microplastics and mental health — the current evidence is alarming.
“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,” Fabiano said. “After all, you are what you eat.”
How to reduce your exposure to microplastics
- Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers: This can release millions of microplastic particles into your food.
- Use glass or metal containers: These are safer for food storage and preparation.
- Limit consumption of UPFs: Opt for whole, unprocessed foods when possible.
- Filter tap water: This can help reduce microplastic ingestion.
