We consume every year Tens of thousands of plastic particles. But we will not all be equal. Researchers have found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have more microplastics in their stools. Thanks to this observation, the scientists concluded that the fragments could be related to the course of the disease. These results have been published in Environmental science and technology.
In France, about 250,000 people have an inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. In the past, researchers have already found that microplastics can cause intestinal inflammation and disorders of the liver Intestinal microbiome. Then they wanted to determine if they could also contribute to the development of IBD.
Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyamide
As part of the study, the team analyzed stool samples from 50 healthy people and 52 patients. consequences? “Analysis of the samples showed that the patients’ feces contained about 1.5 times more microplastic particles per gram of those for healthy subjects,” the study summarizes. The most common plastics found are polyethylene terephthalate – used in bottles – and polyamide – found in food and textile packaging.
In detail, the researchers sent a questionnaire to the patients. Therefore, they found that those who drank bottled water, ate fast food, and exposed themselves to dust had more microplastics in their stools. Despite these observations, scientists cannot prove the exact association between these various elements. Could this exposure cause or contribute to inflammatory bowel disease or, conversely, do these patients accumulate more fecal microplastics due to their disease? Other studies It will shed light on this potential link.
