Micro & nanoplatics in arterial plaques

[NHE]

A recent report discovered a surprising amount of micro and nanoplastics in bottled water.

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/10/12237303 ... stic-study

Now we learn that these plastics are not inert and can also be found to accumulate in the vascular system contributing to arterial plaques.


Do You Have Micro Particles of Plastic in Your Arteries?

Do you ever wonder whether you might have plastic in your body? Not just the chemicals in plastic, but actual plastic in your arteries?

Joe Graedon - March 08, 2024

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/article ... -your-body

Plastic is everywhere! It’s found in nearly all packaging of consumer goods. If you want to buy juice, the likelihood is it will be in plastic. Water? Right again! Almost all water bottles are made of plastic. Where does it all go when we’re done with it? There are massive quantities in the ocean and in landfills. And now, researchers report that it’s in us as well. There’s a good chance that you have microscopic particles of plastic in your arteries (New England Journal of Medicine, March 7, 2024).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38446676/

Microplastic and Nanoplastic in Carotid Arteries:

When most people think about clogged arteries, they imagine the heart. But many individuals also develop clogged carotid arteries in the neck. When blood flow is blocked in the carotids it can lead to TIAs (transient ischemic strokes) that are sometimes referred to as mini strokes. If a piece of plaque breaks loose from a clogged carotid artery, it can cause a full-blown stroke.

Symptoms may include temporary paralysis or weakness on one side of the body. Numbness in an arm or leg is another potential symptom. Vision loss or speech impairment is another tipoff that something is wrong.

When doctors detect clogged carotid arteries (stenosis) they sometimes perform what is called an endarterectomy. This removes plaque from the carotid arteries and is designed to improve blood flow to the brain and reduce the risk of a stroke.

A landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (March 7, 2024) is titled:

“Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38446676/

That is doctor talk for plastic in your arteries and the risk for vascular nastiness.

Researchers Removed Plaque from Clogged Arteries:

In the new study researchers introduced their study this way:

“Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease in preclinical studies. Direct evidence that this risk extends to humans is lacking.”

These investigators attempted to provide direct evidence of a risk resulting from plastic in your arteries.

Here is what they did:

“We performed a prospective, multicenter, observational study in which patients were assigned to groups (one group with plaque in which MNPs were detected and one group with plaque in which MNPs were not detected) after enrollment.”

To put it simply, over 200 patients had their nasty plaque removed. Roughly 60% had tiny nano or microplastic in their diseased arteries. What kind of plastic? The kind of plastic particles that are ubiquitous in our environment: polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The more plastic in your arteries, the greater your risk of inflammation and bad outcomes. That’s what these researchers found.

Here, in ther own words, is what they found:

“Among patients with asymptomatic high-grade (>70%) carotid artery stenosis [blockage] who were undergoing carotid endarterectomy, those with evidence of MNPs [microplastics and nanoplastics] within the carotid plaque had a greater incidence of a composite of myocardial infarction [heart attack], stroke, or death from any cause than patients who did not have evidence of MNPs within the atheroma.”

This research is so provocative we hope that it stimulates a lot of interventional cardiologists to look at the plaque in coronary arteries. If there are MNPs in carotid arteries that contribute to heart attacks and strokes, why wouldn’t there be particles of plastic in heart arteries as well?

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