1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays. Today, 2 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: we're going to pull back the curtain on something that 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: has quietly infiltrated our lives, and that is microplastics. And 4 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,080 Speaker 1: we're not just talking about plastic. 5 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 2: In the oceans or in fish. 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: We're talking about it in our organs, our bloodstream. 7 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:30,639 Speaker 2: And even our brilliants. 8 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: We know that microplastics have also been found in human placentis, 9 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: but in a recent study in Nature Medicine, microplastics were 10 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: found in a bunch of people who were recently deceased, 11 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: and they found a spoonful of microplastics embedded in the brain. 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: And here's the kicker. 13 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: Those who had dementia and died with it had three 14 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: to five times higher level of microplastics, particularly in the 15 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: cerebral vascular walls and the immune cells in the brain. 16 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 2: And even more worrying. 17 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:13,199 Speaker 1: The microplastics found in the brain were especially tiny, under 18 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: two hundred nanometers and primarily made of polyetherne, which is 19 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: commonly used in food packaging. And it turns out that 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: the levels of microplastics in the brain weren't affected by sex, 21 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: age or rais, but they were fifty percent higher in 22 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: individuals who died in twenty twenty four compared to those 23 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: who died in twenty sixteen, And that shows us just 24 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: how rapidly this issue is escalating, tracking almost perfectly alongside 25 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: the explosion in ultra processed food consumption and plastic packaging. 26 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,639 Speaker 1: So let's unpack how these particles are getting into us. 27 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: So it turns out that there are three main pass ways, 28 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: and that's ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. But food really 29 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: is the major vector here, and especially ultra processed foods. 30 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: And you know, I'm not a big fan of them, 31 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: but those foods, things like chicken nuggets, instant noodle, snack cakes, 32 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: these sorts of things, they're not just nutrient poor, they're 33 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: microplastic rich. So one analysis find that chicken nuggets, the 34 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: stuff that is in every restaurant for kids meals, contains 35 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: thirty times more microplastic program than playing chicken breast. Why 36 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: because ultra processed foods are handled more, they're package more, 37 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: and they're often hated or stored in plastic containers. And 38 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: if you're bunkers enough to use plastic containers in the micreatives, 39 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: I still say Australians. 40 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 2: Do when every breadth. 41 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: Even when I was a kid, we knew you shouldent 42 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: microwave plastics. But when you do do that, you could 43 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: be releasing as many as four point two million microplastic 44 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: and two point one billion nanoplastic particles from just one 45 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: square centimeter of plastic within three minutes of heating. Even 46 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:29,119 Speaker 1: storing food in plastic without any heat results in measurable 47 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: plastic leeching. It is everywhere, and over time these particles accumulate. 48 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: Another big culprit is bottled water, and switching from bottle 49 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: to top water can reduce microplastic ingestion from about ninety thousand 50 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: to just four thousand particles per year, where some people 51 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: are aren't a fan of top water, but you can 52 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: filter it, and that for me is a big change 53 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: that we've made in our household because it has a 54 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: huge pay off. Now let's switch and talk about general health. 55 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: Animal studies have shown that microplastics can imper memory, reduce 56 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: levels of key synaptic proteins in the brain, and even 57 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: shrink the hippocampus that's the area of the brain involved 58 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: in learning and memory, and in humans were just beginning 59 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: to scratch the surface, but the mechanisms out there, and 60 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 1: they're known oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and disruption of neurotransmitters such 61 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: as GABBA and glutamate, things that play central roles in 62 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: conditions like anxiety, depression, and even psychosis. And there's also 63 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:46,559 Speaker 1: growing evidence linking microplastics with cardiovascular disease. One study found 64 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: that people with microplastics in their carotid artery plaques had 65 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: a significantly higher risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. 66 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,080 Speaker 1: And remember this isn't limited to food. We talk to 67 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: start about inhalation. That's a major route of exposure to 68 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:09,119 Speaker 1: especially indoors, and studies have shown that an adult meal 69 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: may inhale up to sixty two thousand microplastic particles a year. Now, 70 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: hep of filters, which can remove particles as small as 71 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: zero point three microns, are an excellent way to reduce 72 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,600 Speaker 1: indoor exposure. So, now that we've talked about all the 73 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: scurry shit, and by the way, this is just a 74 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: tip of the Iceberger microplastics. 75 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 2: I have talked about. 76 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: Them before, but given this new research, I thought it 77 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: was useful to revisit it. 78 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 2: So let's talk about what we can do. 79 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 1: So let firstly, let's talk about reducing exposure. First of all, 80 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: ditch the bottle water, or if you do have bottle water, 81 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: make sure you're buying it out of glass bottles. Tapwater, 82 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: especially when it's filtered, contains far fewer microplastics than bottled 83 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,679 Speaker 1: water that you get out of those crappy plastic bottles. 84 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: And then switching from plastic to glass or stainless steel containers. 85 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,279 Speaker 1: This is something that we've done for ourselves and our kids. 86 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: And this is not just for lunch boxes, but for storage, 87 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: for cooking and for drinking as well. And it should 88 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: be obvious from the comment earlier, never ever, ever microwave 89 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: food in plastic, use ceramic or glass containers instead. And 90 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: a big one is just eating less ultra processed food. 91 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: As well as causing lots of chronic diseases, it is 92 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: a big route for microplastics getting into your body and 93 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 1: your brain. And then it's avoiding canned foods or minimizing 94 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: when possible, because many cans are lined with plastic that 95 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: contains BPA, which then leaches into our food. And then 96 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,600 Speaker 1: if you've got the dosh, you can install a heap 97 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: of filter at home, especially in the bedroom where you 98 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: spend a third of your life. So you just got 99 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: to think about where you're spending time and open the 100 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: windows at home as well to just get some fresher 101 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: in there, and then reading labels carefully. And we know 102 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: even tea bags actually contain plastic. And I've actually very 103 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: recently made the switch to loose leaf tea and it 104 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: is a pain in the arts, but I think it's 105 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: worth it, given that I drink a fur bit of tea. 106 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 2: Just to make that little switch. 107 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 1: So let's know, I talk about once it's in there, 108 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: which it is. It is definitely there are microplastics in 109 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: your body for sure. Can we actually remove them? So 110 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: that's the million dollar question and the short answer is 111 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: we don't know for sure, but there are promising signs. 112 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: So for instance, to study looking at BPA, the chemical 113 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: that is found in plastics, found that sweat was the 114 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: only root of excretion in sixteen out of twenty people 115 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: that they tested, and that suggests that induce sweating through exercise, 116 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: saunas that sort of stuff can help eliminate some plastic 117 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: derived compounds. And that's basically one of the best ways 118 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: of getting rid of all toxins in your body. And 119 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: why we don't yet have direct evidence that sweating removes 120 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: microplastics themselves. It is a logical starting point because it 121 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: is a way that we eliminate toxins, and then if 122 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: we combine that with good hydration and high fiber, they 123 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: both support detoxification pathways via the liver and the bile. 124 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 2: So in short, to enhance your elimination, make sure. 125 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: You get hot and sweaty regularly, whether it's via sauna, 126 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:48,079 Speaker 1: hot yoga, or intense workouts. Sweating is the best way 127 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: to get rid of all of your toxins in your body. 128 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: Then it's about staying hydrated because that helps support your 129 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: kidneys in your liver, and they are the body's natural detoxifiers, 130 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: so we need to make sure they're working really well, 131 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: and even plenty of fiber. It turns out that soluble 132 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: fiber binds with toxins in the gut and helps eliminate them. 133 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 1: So think of things like oats, g seeds, peas, beans, lentils, legoons. 134 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:16,719 Speaker 2: The stuff that makes you fart generally. 135 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,719 Speaker 1: Does it because of the soluble fiber. And then it's 136 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: about supporting your liver function. So we know that's vias 137 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: two detox that's cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts ideally 138 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: not boiled like my ma used to do, but. 139 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 2: They sorts. 140 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:39,439 Speaker 1: Any of those cruciferous vegetables help with detox enzyme activity. 141 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: And then you could consider using activated charcoal or bentonite clay. 142 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: These are both binders with potential for toxin removal, and 143 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: it's actually been shown in studies that it can actually 144 00:09:55,040 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: increase the removal of toxins. So now, clearly microplasts are 145 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 1: not something we can completely avoid. They're in our environment, 146 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 1: they're in our food system, they're in the ere we breathe, 147 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,479 Speaker 1: they're in the water we drink. But we can significantly 148 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: reduce our burden and maybe even reverse some of the damage. 149 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 2: With smarter choices. 150 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:24,080 Speaker 1: So, emerging data links high microplastic and BPA loads to depression, anxiety, 151 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 1: and cognitive decline, and one clinical trial fund that cutting 152 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:33,319 Speaker 1: back on ultra processed food led to a greater than 153 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:37,719 Speaker 1: one point effect size reduction in depressive symptoms, which is 154 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: pretty significant. Could part of that be due to lower 155 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: microplastic exposure. I think it's certainly a hypothesis that we 156 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: could explore. So to wrap up just a quick summary, 157 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: avoid bottled water, Minimize ultra processed foods at all costs. 158 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,679 Speaker 1: Avoid heating food and plastic in the microwave. Minimize your 159 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: canned foods, minimize plastic tea bags and cutlery and those 160 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:03,599 Speaker 1: sorts of things and all sorts of plastics that you 161 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:09,400 Speaker 1: come across. And then embrace tapwater, ideally filtered glass containers, 162 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: metal containers, whole foods, especially with lots of cruciferous vegetables. 163 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: Embraces sonnas and sweating through exercise, fiber rich meals, heap 164 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 1: of filters, and clean indoors by opening the windows. So 165 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: hopefully that gives you a little bit of information and 166 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 1: a few tones. 167 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:36,319 Speaker 2: That's it for this week, Folks, catch you next time.