United States: Research shows that consuming food from plastic takeout containers raises your heart failure risk, and brief lesions from plastic chemicals that seep into food or liquids during “even short-term exposure” prove to be toxic for cardiac muscle tissues and trigger cardiovascular health issues.
Short-Term Exposure to Plastic Chemicals Affects Heart and Gut Health
Rats received plastic-exposed boiling water during three-month-long feeding trials using different heating exposures from one to five to fifteen minutes before researchers studied the rats. After three months of research, the study in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety revealed gut biome alterations in rat feces, alongside “extensive” heart tissue damage, as reported by AOL.
“The results indicated that ingestion of these leachates altered the intestinal microenvironment, affected gut microbiota composition, and modified gut microbiota metabolites, particularly those linked to inflammation and oxidative stress,” the study said. “Additionally, this exposure resulted in damage to the heart muscle tissue of the rats, alongside increased markers of myocardial injury, inflammation, and oxidative stress.”
“The study shows plastic exposure as a significant [cardiovascular disease] CVD risk factor regardless of duration,” they added, “indicating that even minimal exposure to heated plastic takeout containers may carry risks.” The rats displayed damage regardless of how long the water they ingested had been boiled.
“It leads to changes in myocardial tissue, gut microbiota, and metabolites, all closely tied to CVD.”
A Growing Concern
Researchers cited an earlier study, which said, “Plastics contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates (PAEs) and plasticizers, which are linked to higher CVD risk.”
The authors maintained that additional study was essential, yet they failed to establish specific recommendations. However, they emphasized that current evidence indicates people must abstain from exposing hot food to plastic containers and minimize plastic usage while deploying expedited plastic-waste management protocols, as reported by AOL.