Microplastics found in more than 50% of clogged atherosclerotic plaques

According to Science Alert, plastic is everywhere, with small pieces found in many important organs of the human body.

Because microplastics easily penetrate body tissues, it is essential to understand the risks they may pose to health.

Microplastics appear in atherosclerotic plaques

Researchers have been actively studying the effects of microplastics in organ models and mice to understand how they might affect the human body. However, the concentrations of microplastics used in these studies may not accurately reflect real-world human exposure, and human studies are relatively few.

In March, a small study in Italy found microplastics in plaques surgically removed from patients who underwent a procedure to open blocked arteries. The study also tracked their health outcomes nearly three years later.

Microplastic particles easily penetrate body tissue - (Photo: Reuters).

A procedure to remove plaque from narrowed arteries, called carotid endarterectomy , helps reduce the risk of future stroke.

A research team led by Raffaele Marfella, a medical researcher at the University of Campania in Naples, Italy, asked whether the risk of stroke, heart attack or death was different between patients with microplastics in their plaques compared to those without.

Following 257 patients for 34 months, researchers found that nearly 60% of patients had measurable amounts of polyethylene plastic in the removed plaque, and 12% of patients also had polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the removed fatty plaques.

PVC, in rigid or flexible form, is used to make plumbing pipes, plastic bottles, flooring, and packaging. Polyethylene is the most commonly produced plastic, used for plastic bags, cling film, and plastic bottles.

Since microplastics have previously been detected in human blood, researchers' concerns about cardiovascular health are justified.

Many harmful effects on human health

Laboratory studies show that microplastics can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in heart cells, impair heart function, alter heart rhythm, and cause scarring in the hearts of animals like mice.

'Observational data from occupational exposure studies also suggest a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals exposed to plastic-related pollution , including polyvinyl chloride, compared with the general population ,' Marfella and colleagues write.

In the study, patients with microplastics in their removed plaques had a 4.5 times higher risk of stroke, non-fatal heart attack, or death from any cause after 34 months compared with those without microplastics detected in their removed plaques.

The study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

It's important to note, however, that an observational study like this can't definitively say that microplastics cause negative effects on the heart, but rather that there's a link. The study also didn't take into account other risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking, physical inactivity, and air pollution.