Microplastics have become a frequent subject of headlines, and a rapidly increasing body of research suggesting they may be associated with an array of deleterious health effects has left patients and providers wondering how to mitigate these consequences in a world chock-full of plastic.
Data suggest the effects microplastics have on the gastrointestinal system are particularly profound, said David Johnson, MD, a professor of medicine and the chief of gastroenterology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, in Norfolk.
Dr. Johnson and his colleagues wrote a paper on microplastic exposure in the American Journal of Gastroenterology earlier this year detailing the implications for GI health and diseases (2025 Mar 12. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000003417), and in the first of this two-part edition of The Scope, he sits down with Elena Ivanina, DO, MPH, to discuss what we know—and what we don’t know—about the relationship between microplastics and the microbiome, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease and cancer.
Stay tuned for part 2 of their discussion, where they address the crucial need for further research and practical advice for patients to decrease exposure to microplastics. In the meantime, check out previous editions of The Scope and our videos on all things GI.
—GEN Staff