In a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart disease

    In a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart disease

By Tara Haelle

    Microplastics are everywhere in the environment—and in our bodies. The build-up of these tiny plastic particles in blood vessels is linked to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, according to a new study. When plaque builds up in arteries—a disease called atherosclerosis—the thicker vessel walls reduce blood flow to parts of the body, raising the risk of strokes, angina, and heart attack. The plaques are typically a mixture of cholesterol, fatty substances, waste from cells, calcium, and a blood clotting protein called fibrin. The new study now focuses on some 300 people with atherosclerosis, some of whom also had tiny plastic particles—microplastics and nanoplastics—embedded in plaques in their carotid artery, a major blood vessel in the neck that provides blood to the brain. The people with plastic-containing plaques were more than four times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke or to die from any cause over the next three years, according to the research published on March 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Disponível em: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/. Acesso em: 11 Abr. 2024.

According to the text, what can be said about microplastic particles?