The findings suggest that tiny plastic particles that make their way into our bodies could affect our gut health.
Microplastics, or tiny particles that are prevalent in the environment, could affect our gut health, a small new study has found. They appear to alter the gut microbiome, which is the ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live in our digestive tracts and help protect against pathogens, stimulate our immune systems, and spur our bodies to produce vitamins. In an experiment using stool samples from five healthy people, scientists grew microbiome cultures in a lab and then exposed them to five common types of microplastics at levels that mimic human exposure. Microplastics did not lead to major changes in the amount of bacteria found in the cultures – but there was a significant decline in pH levels, which the researchers say indicates there had been changes to the metabolic processes that allow these microorganisms to reproduce. The bacterial differences also varied depending on what type of microplastic was used.
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