A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (March 2024) has uncovered a startling finding: microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) were found in over half of carotid artery plaques removed from patients undergoing endarterectomy. Even more alarming—patients with detectable MNPs had a 4.5x higher risk of stroke, heart attack, or death during follow-up.
Researchers detected polyethylene and PVC particles in the plaque.
This study may reshape how we think about “silent” environmental exposures in chronic disease.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822
With such new groundbreaking study being established, raises several questions such as:
- Should we begin considering environmental plastic exposure as a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor?
- Could this change the screening process or policy around food safety and environmental contamination?
Let’s discuss!!