Microplastics can cause inflammation in the body. Early evidence links them to diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.1 Reducing inflammation could minimize the harm microplastics have on your body.

How Do Microplastics Affect Human Health?

“In any area of environmental health science, very rarely do you ever have a smoking gun,” said Matthew Campen, PhD, MSPH, director of the New Mexico Center for Metals in Biology and Medicine and professor at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy.

Like asbestos and cigarette smoke, he told Health, “it will be a long time before we have definite answers.”

However, animal and human studies have found correlations between negative health effects and microplastics.2 And these tiny particles have been found in nearly every part of the human body.

Microplastics pose problems because they can enter tissues and harbor chemicals.

At least 4,200 of the 16,000 chemicals used to make plastic are considered concerning to human health and the environment.3

“Chemicals in plastics—phthalates and BPA—we know those are measured in people,” Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, professor and director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California, San Francisco, told Health.

For this reason, microplastics’ effect on the body likely depends on:

• The individual person and their health history
• The size of the plastic particles
• The type of plastic
• The quantity in a person’s body

”The dose makes the poison—anything at a high enough dose can be toxic,” Campen said.

How Do They Affect Inflammation, the Gut, and Hormones?

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to stress, tissue damage, and pathogens—and, as some studies suggest, possibly microplastics.425

Excessive inflammation has been linked to over 100 diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, Iman Zarei, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland’s Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, told Health.67

It’s difficult to say whether inflammation is the reason microplastics have been linked to chronic (long-term) diseases, but it’s possible it plays a role.8

People who have had more microplastics or nanoplastics in the plaque in their neck arteries may have a nearly five times higher risk of heart attack or stroke. Inflammation may have been a factor.

Exposure to a common type of plastic used in food and beverage packaging could disrupt healthy digestion and promote the growth of pro-inflammatory gut bacteria.910

Some chemicals on the surface of microplastics may also disrupt hormones and block them from properly regulating sleep, appetite, and signaling across the body, said Zarei.

Can You Get Them Out of Your System?

Luckily, not every plastic particle you encounter lingers in the body forever.

Humans largely ingest microplastics by eating and drinking, and many particles—particularly larger ones, like those from plastic cutting boards—“pretty much just pass right through your colon,” said Campen. “There is definitely reason to believe a lot of it will come out through the feces.”

The chemicals from microplastics also “don’t stay in the body very long, so if you stop exposure, the levels [in] your body will go down,” added Woodruff.

This is a strong case for reducing microplastics exposure, which can be difficult since plastic is everywhere.

Other smaller particles may not be ejected from the body. Nanoparticles are sometimes absorbed by cells and can form protein shells that enable them to move easily throughout the body.11

Can You Counteract the Effects of Microplastics in Your Body?

Since avoiding microplastics is easier said than done, researchers are looking for ways to minimize their effects on the body.

For now, “we cannot really name something and say, ‘That is a cure for microplastics,’” said Zarei. However, some dietary changes could potentially help.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants may help reduce the effects of microplastics by reducing inflammation.12

Specifically, a plant compound called anthocyanin—naturally found in purple and blue foods such as berries or grapes—might be able to counteract the negative effects microplastics can have on fertility. Specifically, reductions in testosterone and estrogen, and poorer sperm quality.12

Anthocyanins may also be linked to better blood sugar regulation, heart health benefits, and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.131415

Eat Healthy

Though it’s not a perfect solution, experts agree it’s likely easier for your body to deal with the potential effects of microplastic exposure when your body is healthy.

That means doing your best to maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity, which is linked to a host of chronic diseases.16

Your eating habits also help “build your resistance to all sorts of assaults on your body,” including microplastics, Woodruff said. She recommended eating a diet rich in:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Unprocessed meat
• Beans and fish

Diets rich in vegetables, nuts, and whole grains also contain more fiber, which is good for the gut microbiome.17

In general, healthy eating plans such as the Mediterranean diet have been linked to lower rates of type 2 diabetes, healthy hormone levels, and lower inflammation.18