According to a series of four papers all recently published in the journal Brain Medicine, microplastics may be accumulating in your brain.

While this might not be news to many who are already concerned about these tiny pieces of plastic, the source and effect may be more striking.

That’s because the researchers collectively suggest that not only are the microplastics coming from the ultra-processed foods we consume, they’re also having a surprising effect on the function of our brains.

That is, these microplastics could be partly behind the significant rise in mental health conditions, including depression, that we are seeing on a worldwide scale – and that’s because, the articles suggest, the average human brain contains not just a light sprinkling, but a whole spoonful of microplastics.

Through two articles, a team of researchers from the University of Ottowa, the University of Toronto, Loma Linda University, and Deakin University explain that these microplastics build up through the consumption of food that people believe they can trust – after all, why would there be microplastics in food?

But as the researchers prove, ultra-processed food increases microplastic consumption whilst also contributing to an increased risk of mental health conditions – at a rate of 22% for depression and 48% for anxiety – as Ottowa’s Dr. Nicholas Fabiano explained in a statement:

“We’re seeing converging evidence that should concern us all. Ultra-processed foods now comprise more than 50% of energy intake in countries like the United States, and these foods contain significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than whole foods. Recent findings show these particles can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in alarming quantities.”

This is because of the way that microplastics affect the body in various ways, with increased inflammation and oxidative stress thanks to the body’s systems recognising that they really shouldn’t be there and targeting them accordingly. This inflammation and oxidative stress in turn can affect mood and mental health, thanks to the changes in brain activity and function.

With the claim that the average chicken nugget contains 30 times more microplastics than the equivalent weight of chicken breast, it’s clear that it is the ultra-processed nature of these foodstuffs that lead to the contamination levels (after all, if the microplastics weren’t there before the nuggets were processed, where else would they have come from?)

So if our food is packed with microplastics that are affecting how our brains function, what can we do about it?

In a further paper, researchers at Technische Universität Dresden, along with colleagues in industry in Germany and Switzerland, explore methods in which these harmful plastic particles can actually be removed from the body through a technique that involves removing and filtering blood before pumping it back into the body, free from microplastics.

However, this is not only uncomfortable and impractical, it is also only a temporary solution, given the person will immediately be confronted by microplastics – in their environment, in their food – once more after treatment. In fact, as Dr. Stefan Bornstein continued in the statement, there is much more that is required at a societal level to prevent microplastic contamination:

“While we need to reduce our exposure to microplastics through better food choices and packaging alternatives, we also need research into how to remove these particles from the human body. Our early findings suggest that apheresis might offer one possible pathway for microplastic removal, though much more research is needed.”

Meanwhile, in a final paper, Dr. Ma-Li Wong underlined the seriousness of the situation:

“What emerges from this work is not a warning. It is a reckoning. The boundary between internal and external has failed. If microplastics cross the blood-brain barrier, what else do we think remains sacred?”

If we are to stay safe and healthy into the future, we don’t need a cure so much as preventative action to stop microplastics invading our brains and bodies at such an appalling rate – and that needs to happen on a global level. Something has to change.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.