{"id":163261,"date":"2025-05-22T07:23:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=163261"},"modified":"2025-05-20T10:40:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T08:40:45","slug":"starch-based-microplastics-could-cause-health-risks-in-mice-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/starch-based-microplastics-could-cause-health-risks-in-mice-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Starch-based microplastics could cause health risks in mice, study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Microscopic fragments from starch-based plastics (similar to those shown here) caused negative health impacts in mice, including changes to organ tissues, metabolic functions and gut microbiota diversity. \u00a9 Kononov Oleh\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Wear and tear on plastic products releases small to nearly invisible plastic particles, which could impact people\u2019s health when consumed or inhaled. To make these particles biodegradable, researchers created plastics from plant starch instead of petroleum. An initial study published in ACS\u2019 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry<\/em> <\/a>shows how animals consuming particles from this alternative material developed health problems such as liver damage and gut microbiome imbalances.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBiodegradable starch-based plastics may not be as safe and health-promoting as originally assumed,\u201d says Yongfeng Deng, the corresponding author of the study.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Microplastics (plastic pieces less than 5 millimeters wide) are entering human bodies through contaminated water supplies, foods and drinks \u2014 and even IV infusions<\/a>. Scientists have linked plastic particles in the bloodstream and tissues to various health risks. For example, a study found that people with inflammatory bowel disease have more microplastics in their feces<\/a>. Biodegradable plastics have been presented as a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics. One of the most common types comes from starch, a carbohydrate found in potatoes, rice and wheat. However, there is a lack of information on how starch-based biodegradable plastics affect the body. A team of researchers led by Deng tackled this issue by exploring these effects in animal trials.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u00a9 ACS<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The researchers compared three groups of five mice: one group consuming normal chow and two groups consuming food infused with starch-based microplastics. The doses (low and high) were calculated and scaled from what an average human is expected to consume daily. They fed the mice for 3 months and then assessed the animals\u2019 organ tissues, metabolic functions and gut microbiota diversity. Mice exposed to the starch-based plastic particles had:<\/p>\n\n\n\n