Microparticles: The invisible enemy taking hold in your body

Journal · Health & Environment

Microparticles: The Invisible Enemy Taking Root in Your Body

What science says about their effects on your health, and how to act.

They are called microparticles, microplastics, or nanoplastics. They are invisible to the naked eye. They have no smell or taste. And yet, they are now everywhere: in the water you drink, in the air you breathe, in the food you eat, and for the past few years, in your blood, your lungs, your placenta, and even in the plaques that clog your arteries.

This is not a theory. This is what studies published in the world's leading medical journals: Nature Medicine, The New England Journal of Medicine, Environment International: have shown in recent years. Microparticles have become one of the most documented subjects in environmental medicine.

This article explains what they are, how they enter your body, what they do there, and what you can do to limit their impact.

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I. What is a microparticle, and where does it come from?

A simple definition: microplastic, nanoplastic

Microplastics refer to plastic fragments smaller than 5 millimeters: less than the size of a grain of rice. Below one micrometer (one thousandth of a millimeter), we speak of nanoplastics, which are capable of crossing biological barriers that microplastics cannot: the intestinal wall, the blood-brain barrier, the placental membrane.

These particles come from the degradation of larger plastics under the effect of sun, mechanical abrasion, and time. But they are also directly manufactured: synthetic fibers from clothing (polyester, nylon) release hundreds of thousands of microparticles with each wash. Tires release them with each braking. Food packaging transfers them to the food it contains, especially under the effect of heat or fats.

Unexpected sources, in everyday actions

Microparticles don't just come from large landfills or polluted oceans. They are generated by ordinary actions.

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II. How microparticles enter your body

There are three main entry points.

Once in the bloodstream, microparticles behave like tiny travelers with no specific destination: they settle in the tissues that most easily capture them: the lungs, liver, kidneys, but also the arterial walls. Nanoplastics, even smaller, can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain, as well as the placental barrier, potentially exposing the developing fetus to these substances.

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III. What microparticles do to your body

1. Chronic low-grade inflammation

The body's first reaction to foreign bodies is inflammation. Microparticles activate macrophages (immune cells) that try to eliminate them: without ever succeeding, because plastic is not biodegradable. The result: chronic low-grade inflammation that silently sets in. This silent inflammation is now recognized as an aggravating or triggering factor for numerous pathologies: cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, certain cancers.

2. Oxidative stress and cellular aging

Microparticles directly generate free radicals (reactive oxygen species, ROS), which damage cell membranes, DNA, and mitochondria. This oxidative stress accelerates cellular aging and reduces the effectiveness of natural defense systems: notably glutathione, the body's main antioxidant.

3. Endocrine disruption

Plastics contain chemical additives: bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, PFAS (the "forever chemicals"), which mimic or block the action of hormones. These substances, called endocrine disruptors, accumulate in fatty tissues and gradually disrupt the hormonal system: thyroid, cortisol, insulin, sex hormones. Their effect is not measured by a single exposure, but by an accumulation over years.

4. Cardiovascular damage: the 2024 alert

The study that changed public perception on this subject was published in 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine. For the first time, researchers measured microplastics in atherosclerotic plaques (deposits that clog arteries) of patients undergoing carotid artery surgery. The results are unequivocal.

5. Microbiota and intestinal barrier

Microparticles directly disrupt the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota: the bacteria that live in your gut and play a key role in immunity, digestion, and even mood. They also weaken the intestinal barrier, increasing its permeability and facilitating the passage into the blood of substances that should remain in the intestine (toxins, bacterial fragments). This phenomenon contributes to systemic inflammation and food hypersensitivities.

"You can't control everything. But you can choose what you put into your body, and support your body against what you can't avoid."

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IV. Reducing your exposure: priority actions

It is impossible to eliminate all exposure to microparticles in our environment. But it is possible to significantly reduce it with a few targeted changes.

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V. Nutritional support: helping your body cope

While exposure to microparticles is inevitable, the body has natural defense systems against their toxicity: provided they are well-fed. Three mechanisms are particularly involved: neutralization of free radicals, modulation of inflammation, and maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity. Here are the BIOLOGYST active ingredients targeted to support these three lines of defense. The details of each molecule are presented in our Active Ingredients dossier.

Antioxidant Defense · Cellular protection against oxidative stress

The formula most directly oriented towards the toxicity mechanisms described for microparticles. It combines quercetin (NF-κB inhibitor, the central inflammatory pathway induced by plastic fragments in published models), vitamin C, which contributes to cell protection against oxidative stress and participates in glutathione regeneration, zinc and selenium, which also contribute to cell protection against oxidative stress and are cofactors of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, as well as reduced glutathione.

Discover Antioxidant Defense →

Active Nigella · Thymoquinone and NF-κB pathway

Thymoquinone from Nigella sativa is one of the best-documented natural inhibitors of NF-κB: the central pathway of chronic inflammation triggered by foreign bodies like microparticles. Published works also describe its activation of Nrf2, the regulator of cellular antioxidant defenses, which amplifies the endogenous production of glutathione and superoxide dismutase.

Discover Active Nigella →

Active Lactoferrin + · Intestinal barrier and microbiota

Microparticles weaken the intestinal barrier, increase its permeability, and disrupt the microbiota. Lactoferrin is the most studied protein concerning these mechanisms: published works describe a strengthening of tight junctions of the intestinal epithelium, a modulation of the microbiota (selective prebiotic effect on bifidobacteria), and a reduction in mucosal inflammation markers. Its antimicrobial action is also described as limiting the proliferation of pathobionts favored by plastic-induced dysbiosis.

Discover Active Lactoferrin + →

Active Omega + · EPA, DHA and resolution of inflammation

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) integrate into cell membranes and modify their inflammatory response. Published works describe a reduction in the production of prostaglandins PGE2 and pro-inflammatory leukotrienes, and a stimulation of the synthesis of resolvins and protectins, the mediators that "turn off" chronic inflammation. In the context of microparticles, omega-3s act as modulators of inflammatory resolution, where antioxidants act on the source. For the record, EPA and DHA contribute to normal heart function from 250 mg per day, and DHA contributes to the maintenance of normal brain function and vision from 250 mg per day.

Discover Active Omega + →

"Your body is exposed every day to what the world sends it. Your role is to give it the tools to respond."

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In summary

Microparticles are a reality of our 21st-century environment. Science is clear: they accumulate in our bodies, generating inflammation, oxidative stress, and hormonal disruptions. A 2024 study in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that they even contribute to the destabilization of arterial plaques.

However, our body possesses remarkable defense systems: provided they are properly nourished. Reducing exposure (filtered water, avoiding plastics, renewing air), supporting the neutralization of free radicals, modulating chronic inflammation, and protecting the intestinal barrier are the four pillars of a coherent and documented response.

You cannot control everything. But you can choose how your body responds to what it encounters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a microparticle or microplastic?

A microplastic is a plastic fragment less than 5 millimeters. Below one micrometer, it is called a nanoplastic: this size allows it to cross the intestinal wall, the blood-brain barrier, and the placental membrane, which microplastics do not.

Do microplastics really get into the blood?

Yes. The study by Leslie et al. (Environment International, 2022) detected measurable microparticles in 17 out of 22 analyzed blood donors, i.e., 77%. Identified plastics included PET, polystyrene, and polyethylene.

What is the link between microplastics and cardiovascular health?

The study by Marfella et al. (New England Journal of Medicine, 2024) analyzed 304 patients undergoing carotid stenosis surgery: 58.4% of atheromatous plaques contained microplastics. These patients had a 4.53 times higher risk of infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death over 34 months of follow-up.

How to reduce daily exposure to microparticles?

Four actions have a measurable effect: filtering tap water with activated carbon (70 to 90% fewer microplastics), never heating food in plastic (heat multiplies the release by 10 to 100), ventilating 10 minutes a day, and washing synthetic textiles in an anti-fiber bag (up to 86% of fibers retained).

What nutrients support the body against this exposure?

Vitamin C, zinc, and selenium contribute to protecting cells against oxidative stress. EPA and DHA contribute to normal heart function from 250 mg per day. Quercetin, thymoquinone, and lactoferrin are studied for their action on the NF-κB pathway and the intestinal barrier. Find more analyses in the BIOLOGYST Journal.