Health · Medical Research · 1 day ago
Study links polyethylene microplastics to signs of fatty liver disease
Researchers at Texas A&M and the University of Oklahoma studied how polyethylene microplastics may affect the liver.
Polyethylene is widely used in food wrappers, storage containers, packaging and beverage-cup linings.
The team found signs of fatty liver disease after exposure to the plastic, even without an unhealthy diet.
When exposure was combined with a diet high in fat, fructose and cholesterol, the signs were more severe.
Fatty liver disease develops when too much fat builds up in liver cells and affects about one-quarter of people worldwide.
The researchers used a method that maps gene activity within tissue and identified changes involving PPAR-alpha, a protein that helps regulate liver fat metabolism.
The findings suggest this common plastic may affect the liver’s defenses and repair processes, but they do not establish what exposure means for people.
Researchers at Texas A&M report that polyethylene microplastics may contribute to signs of fatty liver disease.
The effects appeared both without an unhealthy diet and more strongly when exposure was combined with a diet high in fat, fructose and cholesterol.
The team used spatial transcriptomics to map liver changes and identified PPAR-alpha and ANXA2 as possible parts of the response.
The findings raise questions about how a widely used plastic may affect liver function and repair.
- Who
- Researchers at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, working with scientists at the University of Oklahoma.
- What
- The researchers found that polyethylene exposure was associated with indicators of fatty liver disease in their study.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- Texas A&M; the study also involved scientists at the University of Oklahoma.
- Why
- The researchers investigated whether exposure to a widely used plastic could promote fatty liver disease.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
What we now know is that these microplastics, especially polyethylene, affect our liver's natural defense and repair mechanisms.
Those who have a more Western-style diet, including foods like burgers and sodas, may have a greater chance of progressing to fatty liver disease if they are also exposed to polyethylene.
Researchers examined whether exposure to polyethylene could promote fatty liver disease.
The team partnered with University of Oklahoma scientists and used spatial transcriptomics to map liver changes linked to exposure.
Polyethylene exposure increased indicators of fatty liver disease, with more severe signs when combined with a diet rich in fat, fructose and cholesterol.
- Plastic studied
- Polyethylene
- Share of global plastic production
- Approximately one-third
- Researchers' institutions
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; University of Oklahoma
- Liver protein identified
- PPAR-alpha
- Gene identified
- ANXA2
Sources
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