It's high time we reconsider our use of plastic water bottles. Plastic's impact on human health has long been a concern, and recent research adds a powerful new reason to make the switch. The new study found that drinking from plastic bottles can cause microplastics to enter the bloodstream, potentially leading to increased blood pressure.
The researchers from the Department of Medicine at Danube Private University in Austria examined the impact of a "partial plastic diet" on blood pressure in a small group of participants and discovered that avoiding plastic usage for merely two weeks could help lower blood pressure.
In the study, researchers asked eight healthy adults to stop drinking bottled beverages and stick to tap water for 28 to 30 days. Researchers measured their blood pressure before the study, after 14 days, and after 28 to 30 days.
Women showed a notable change in systolic blood pressure in their right arm after 2 and 4 weeks, while their left arm did not show significant changes. For men, blood pressure measurements in both arms did not show significant changes due to high variability among the participants.
However, after two weeks, there were notable changes in diastolic blood pressure for all participants in both arms.
Although the study has not established a causal relationship and the findings were based on a small population, researchers discovered a remarkable trend, highlighting the potential dangers of plastics.
While an individual's blood pressure is linked to known factors such as physical fitness, diet, age, gender, and genetic predisposition, based on the study findings, researchers suggest that circulating plastic particles may also have an impact. According to the researchers, these particles can interact with blood cells, potentially activating platelets, causing changes in blood vessels, triggering inflammatory responses, and ultimately contributing to plaque formation.
"To confirm this hypothesis, a larger sample of male and female participants must be examined, ideally with the monitoring of plastic concentration in the blood," the researchers wrote in the study published in Microplastics.
"Observed changes in blood pressure suggest that reducing the oral intake of plastic particles could lower cardiovascular risk. These findings underscore the importance of minimizing plastic use to prevent adverse health effects and highlight the need for more comprehensive research to clarify the connection between plastic exposure and cardiovascular health," the researchers concluded.
