Doctors are urging people to take care when reheating food, as doing so incorrectly could lead to dementia.
Using plastic containers in microwaves after a new study found a shocking amount of microplastics in dementia patients’ brains.
A group of researchers recently conducted a study and found that using plastic containers in the microwave exposes people to microplastics and found the toxins accumulate in the human brain.
It revealed that about a tablespoon worth of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) were discovered in the brain and levels were three to five times higher in people diagnosed with dementia.
Micro and nanoplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long that can damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer .
Researchers also found the concentration of plastics in the body was seven to 30 times higher in the brain, compared to other organs like the liver or kidney.
MNPs have also been linked to cell death, changes in the gut microbiome, formation of blood clots and increased risk of heart attacks.
Responding to the study, a group of doctors offered ways to reduce to exposure to MNPs, including swapping out plastic containers when reheating food in the microwave.
Plastic levels were also found to be three to five times higher in people diagnosed with dementia
Dr Nicholas Fabiano, from the University of Ottawa’s Department of Psychiatry and lead author of the commentary noted: ‘The dramatic increase in brain microplastic concentrations over just eight years, from 2016 to 2024, is particularly alarming.
‘This rise mirrors the exponential increase we’re seeing in environmental microplastic levels.’
Dr Brandon Luu, an Internal Medicine Resident at the University of Toronto, explained that heating food in plastic containers can cause the release of BPA and phthalates into the air which can then get absorbed by your food and infiltrate your body when eating.
BPA, short for bisphenol A, and phthalates are industrial chemicals that are sometimes added to plastics as part of the manufacturing process to make them more durable.
Dr Luu said in the Eureka journal paper: ‘Heating food in plastic containers—especially in the microwave can release substantial amounts of microplastics and nanoplastics.
‘Avoiding plastic food storage and using glass or stainless steel alternatives is a small but meaningful step in limiting exposure.’
Heating plastics is one of the largest drivers of forever chemical exposure, and the Mayo Clinic warned forever chemicals found in plastics are released when the item is reheated.
Separately, University of Nebraska researchers found in a 2023 study that microwaving plastic containers releases billions of nanoplastics and millions of microplastics per every square centimeter of a plastic container.
The Nebraska team further discovered that embryotic kidney cells died two days after bring exposed to those particles.
A separate 2024 study from researchers in India found when food-grade plastics or food that had been in contact with the plastic are heated, BPA is released and leaches into the food item ‘and is thereby consumed, making it a potential candidate for causing serious health hazards.’
Dr Brandon Luu, an Internal Medicine Resident at the University of Toronto, explained that heating food in plastic containers can cause the release of BPA and phthalates in the microwave air which can contaminate the food and enter your body
BPA, short for bisphenol A, and phthalates are industrial chemicals that are sometimes added to plastics as part of the manufacturing process to make them more durable
Another large driver of MNPs exposure is drinking water.
Dr Luu noted switching from bottled to filtered tap water alone could reduce microplastic intake from 90,000 to 4,000 particles per year.
He said: ‘Bottled water alone can expose people to nearly as many microplastic particles annually as all ingested and inhaled sources combined.
‘Switching to tap water could reduce this exposure by almost 90 percent, making it one of the simplest ways to cut down on microplastic intake.’
Recently, a world-leading fertility scientist also advised people to steer clear from using plastic containers in the microwave due to its potential impact on fertility.
Dr Shanna Swan, an epidemiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, warned that consumption of BPA and phthalates chemicals that are released when heating up a container in the microwave can cause fertility issues in a podcast.
BPA is said to be able to chemically ‘mimic’ the female sex hormone estrogen which, in high doses, can potentially disrupt the normal hormone balance which is thought to fuel tumors.
Phthalates are also believed to harm fertility due to disrupting hormones, particularly the male sex hormone, testosterone.
However, evidence suggests women’s ovaries are also adversely affected.
