People with IBD have more microplastics in their feces:
The prevalence of IBD [(Inflammatory bowel disease)], which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is rising globally. [...] Microplastics can cause intestinal inflammation, gut microbiome disturbances and other problems in animal models, so Faming Zhang, Yan Zhang and colleagues wondered if they could also contribute to IBD. As a first step toward finding out, the researchers wanted to compare the levels of microplastics in feces from healthy subjects and people with different severities of IBD.
[...] The microplastics had similar shapes (mostly sheets and fibers) in the two groups, but the IBD feces had more small (less than 50 µm) particles. The two most common types of plastic in both groups were polyethylene terephthalate (PET; used in bottles and food containers) and polyamide (PA; found in food packaging and textiles). People with more severe IBD symptoms tended to have higher levels of fecal microplastics. Through a questionnaire, the researchers found that people in both groups who drank bottled water, ate takeaway food and were often exposed to dust had more microplastics in their feces. These results suggest that people with IBD may be exposed to more microplastics in their gastrointestinal tract. However, it's still unclear whether this exposure could cause or contribute to IBD, or whether people with IBD accumulate more fecal microplastics as a result of their disease, the researcher say.
Journal Reference:
Zehua Yan, Yafei Liu, Ting Zhang, et al. Analysis of Microplastics in Human Feces Reveals a Correlation between Fecal Microplastics and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Status, Environmental Science & Technology (DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03924)
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 23 2021, @04:46PM (1 child)
Maybe IBS sufferers are actually SuperShitters who have adapted to rid their bodies of microplastics more effectively.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @12:21AM
Nope. They are the source - get rid of these parasites and we'll solve the plastic problem. Although I fucking like plastic, unlike the whacko libtard SJW ecoterrorists, so I say let 'em live.
(Score: 3, Funny) by SomeGuy on Thursday December 23 2021, @06:09PM (3 children)
Plastics are one of the four main food groups:
1: Plastic
2: Wood
3: Metal
4: The stuff they put inside Twinkies.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 23 2021, @06:19PM (1 child)
I prefer polymers.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday December 23 2021, @07:19PM
How quaint [youtu.be]
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday December 23 2021, @09:20PM
Or in some cases, a combination of the two [youtu.be].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 23 2021, @07:59PM (3 children)
Extremely dark research. I am suffering some IBS symptoms myself, but I choked up a lot of em to reduced fiber intake and increased lactose intolarence as I age.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @05:29PM
Honestly, IBS can be a lot of things. Food intolerance is just one of them. But, having a disfunctional microbiome or food intolerance is common. Personally,I did find cutting back on dairy and grains helped, as did substituting some of my dairy for live culture yogurt.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @02:51PM (1 child)
> choked up
Chalked up. Jesus, internet, what's wrong with you??
(Score: 2) by The Vocal Minority on Sunday December 26 2021, @03:59AM
Someone misspoke on the internet? How DARE they! /s
(Score: 2) by ChrisMaple on Thursday December 23 2021, @08:23PM (1 child)
How can a person "accumulate more fecal microplastics"? The stuff isn't digested and turned into other substances, and it isn't incorporated into the body. It's GIGO. Defecation is the opposite of accumulation. If the microplastics are accumulating in the bowel, they aren't in the feces, they're stuck on or into the walls of the bowel.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday December 23 2021, @09:14PM
Why not both?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 23 2021, @09:40PM (1 child)
Are these from bottled water and soda, or are microplastics in everything we eat already?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @12:24AM
Yes. They're everywhere.
But now that they mention it, I bet bottling up water in plastic and letting it sit in hot warehouses and semi trailers in summer until the plastic gets all squishy might be a great way to create microplastics.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @04:14AM (1 child)
Quickly, blame it on plastics, and we have a grant!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @02:53PM
It's either that or the sex life of frogs. You pick.
(Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @04:39AM
It’s from all those monstrous black dildos they keep torquing up their assholes!