Every day you’re exposed to pervasive, unavoidable toxins called microplastics.
They’re in the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat. Every person, animal, insect, plant, and body of water that’s been tested contains at least some plastic.
It’s been found in human saliva, blood, urine, and breast milk. And if you got tested, you’d see how much plastic you contain too.
Unfortunately, you can’t completely escape that. And these tiny, invisible‑to‑the‑eye plastic particles cause severe health damage from dementia to cancer to premature death.
Your body can’t deal with them on its own. But there is a solution.
It takes specific support to detox from microplastics. The first step is to reduce your exposure. Then you can safely remove microplastics from your body and keep them from accumulating. You just have to know how.
What Exactly Are Microplastics?
Plastics are forever. They’re not biodegradable. And industry releases up to 40 metric tons of plastic into the environment every year. That’s about the size of a fully grown humpback whale.
Over time, exposure to the elements breaks those plastics down into smaller and smaller particles. That creates microplastics, minuscule pieces smaller than 5 millimeters but bigger than 1 micrometer. The biggest microplastics are around the size of sesame seeds. And average microplastics are the size of glitter particles or grains of sand.
Then there are nanoplastics, pieces smaller than 1 micrometer. That’s smaller than a single virus cell. Ten times smaller than a bacterium. And eight times smaller than a single blood cell.
Unfortunately, we consume millions of these infinitesimally small plastic particles. And over time, that adds up.
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In one week: 5 grams of microplastics, the size of a credit card or a U.S. nickel
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In one month: 21 grams, the size of a small hummingbird
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In one year: 250 grams, the size of a box of pasta
What are 7 Surprising Sources of Microplastics?
Microplastics show up everywhere… even in things you’d think were clean. Some of the worst microplastic carriers may shock you. But you need to know where they’re hiding so you can make safer choices for yourself and your family every day.
The most surprising sources of microplastics contamination include:
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Water in glass bottles¹
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Apples and carrots²
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Tea bags (including herbal teas)³
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Sea salt⁴
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Rice⁵
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Honey⁶
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Dairy products⁷
So even if you’re doing your best to eat healthy, you’re still consuming far more microplastics than you probably realized.
What Do Microplastics Do to the Body?
Your immune system fights threats by neutralizing, consuming, and breaking them down so they can be expelled. But that doesn’t work with microplastics.
Plastic does not break down. So your immune system can’t effectively manage microplastics. Immune cells called macrophages engulf the microplastics and attempt to digest them. That doesn’t work. What happens instead is that microplastics clog immune cells and disrupt immune function.
Microplastics can make their way into other types of cells, too. They can get into almost any organ or tissue in your body. And they bring all of the hazardous chemicals associated with plastics along for the ride, everything from polymers to dyes.⁸ That includes toxins like BPAs and phthalates that pile on health problems.⁹
Microplastics contain “a cocktail of hazardous chemicals” used in plastic production, everything from dyes to polymers.⁸ And when you ingest or inhale microplastics or nanoplastics, all of those poisonous and potentially cancer‑causing chemicals come with them.
Research shows that microplastics:
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disrupt cellular integrity and cause organ damage¹⁰ ¹¹
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trigger chronic inflammation¹²
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cause oxidative stress¹³
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disrupt hormone function (chemicals like BPA)¹⁴
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release toxins¹⁵
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cause NRF‑2 pathway malfunction¹⁶
All of this damage builds up and causes serious health problems. We’re still learning about the extent of microplastic toxicity, but we already know a lot about its deadly consequences.
For one thing, microplastics can cross the blood‑brain barrier and weaken its protection.¹⁷ That allows microplastics to accumulate in your brain cells.¹⁸ And research shows that people with dementia have extremely high levels of microplastics in their brains.¹⁹
Microplastics also build up in your arteries, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.²⁰ ²¹
They also increase your risk of many kinds of cancer.²² Microplastics unleash cellular damage, inflammation, hormone disruption, and chemical toxins on your body. Any one of those issues can start the cancer process. All of them at once practically guarantee it. Studies show that microplastics are found in several cancers including:²³
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lung
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breast
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colon
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blood
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prostate
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cervical
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pancreatic
And new research is pouring in all the time as researchers uncover even more ways that microplastics can destroy your health and shorten your life.
How Can I Decrease My Microplastic Burden?
There are two main ways to protect yourself against microplastic toxicity: reduce your exposure and remove as much plastic from your body as possible.
Step 1: Reduce Your Exposure
Step 1: Reduce your exposure as much as you can. That means lowering the microplastics in the food you eat, the air you breathe, and the water you drink. You can control your microplastic intake by taking these critical steps.
How Can I Keep Microplastics Out of my Food?
You may not be able to completely remove microplastics from food, but you can make sure no extra plastic ends up in your meals. Here are some very simple ways to significantly limit your microplastic consumption:
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Don’t microwave food in plastic because heat increases the release of plastic into the food. Transfer food you need to heat into glass or ceramic dishes before you zap it.
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Store food in glass containers whenever possible. If you have to store food in plastic containers, make sure the food is fully cooled before you transfer it.
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Don’t wash plastic in the dishwasher. The high temperatures in the dishwasher cause plastic items to shed microplastics and leach chemicals. Those can linger on dishes, utensils, and containers and get into your food.
How Can I Keep Microplastics Out of the Air?
You can’t control the air everywhere you go, but you can remove microplastics from the air in your home and your car. A significant portion of microplastic exposure comes from the air we breathe, and car interiors and household materials emit billions of them.²⁴
HEPA filters can clear microplastics from the air in both your vehicle and your home. HEPA filters will improve your air quality. Reducing the amount of inhaled microplastic particles can improve respiratory health, decrease inflammation, and enhance the effectiveness of a broader detox protocol.
The key is to get the right-sized HEPA filter for the environment. Portable HEPA filters work well in cars. For your home, you may need multiple HEPA filters depending on how many rooms you have and how big they are. Start with one in your bedroom, as you spend concentrated time there every day.
How Can I Keep Microplastics Out of My Water?
Drinking water is a major source of microplastic contamination. That’s why you’ll want to remove plastic particles from the water you drink at home with a reverse osmosis (RO) water filter.
RO systems remove a wide range of contaminants, including microplastics, heavy metals, and chemical residues. By eliminating these particles at the source, you’ll reduce the daily burden placed on your body’s internal detox systems. That helps your liver and kidneys function more effectively, increasing their detox capabilities.
You can get highly effective RO filters for the drinking water at your sink or for your whole house. Be aware that most standalone filters (like Brita) and the filters for the water and ice dispensers on your refrigerator are minimally effective and not recommended.
Incorporating RO‑filtered water into your routine helps make sure that hydration supports – rather than undermines – your overall detox efforts.
Step 2: Remove Microplastics from Your Body
Step 2: Remove microplastics from your body with a full‑body detox and daily maintenance routine using bioavailable natural supplements. It’s critical to keep up with this step, as you’re exposed to more microplastics every day.
An effective detox starts with clearing your NRF‑2 pathway. It’s responsible for activating your body’s own cleanup crew. And when it’s flipped on, it triggers hundreds of genes to kick off critical detox actions, including:
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producing antioxidants to counteract free radicals
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neutralizing oxidative stress caused by plastic particles
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creating and activating powerful detox enzymes that process and expel plastic‑related chemicals
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strengthening your cell’s innate defense systems
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supporting your liver and bile system so they can effectively excrete microplastic contaminants
Microplastics undermine and disrupt NRF‑2 activity.²⁵ ²⁶ So your body needs extra support to keep the NRF‑2 pathway running smoothly. And that support comes directly from specific natural compounds that deliver antioxidant, anti‑inflammatory, and cellular protection.
Which are the Best Natural Compounds for Microplastic Detox?
Sulforaphane
Sulforaphane is your best defense against microplastics. This unique natural molecule is the most potent NRF‑2 activator.²⁷ It comes from cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli and broccoli sprouts – but you’d need to eat pounds of the stuff every day to get the full benefit.
Research shows that sulforaphane also helps activate cellular stress responses that help them empty out “cell trash” including microplastic particles.²⁸ Those mobilized microplastic particles are much easier for your body to clear.
Sulforaphane also delivers strong protection against chemical toxins found in plastics and the free radicals they produce.²⁹ High-quality, highly bioavailable sulforaphane supplements are a critical component of any microplastic detox and maintenance routine.
Curcumin
Curcumin works synergistically with sulforaphane to activate NRF‑2.³⁰ This powerful plant polyphenol protects cell health, fights free radicals and oxidative stress, and calms inflammation.³¹ Research shows that curcumin helps protect against microplastic toxicity.³²
Resveratrol
Resveratrol acts on your body’s TFEB pathway, a cellular cleanup switch.³³ That helps your body clear out microplastics that have been mobilized by sulforaphane. It moves the microplastics along so they don’t build up in cells. Resveratrol also reduces oxidative stress and inflammation as well as supporting cellular energy production.³⁴
Berberine
Berberine adds another level of NRF‑2 support, boosting sulforaphane’s effectiveness.³⁵ Animal research shows that berberine reduces the toxic effects of plastic chemicals such as BPA.³⁶ Berberine is known to improve liver health and bile metabolism, two important pieces in the microplastic detox puzzle.³⁷
Including these natural compounds in your daily routine will help reduce your microplastics burden and help your body fight their toxic effects.
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