Microplastics are now everywhere: in water, in the air, in soil and consequently in our bodies. According to some research, each person ingests on average over 45,000 particles per year through food and drink, a number that rises up to 120,000 considering those inhaled.
But new scientific research, published in the journal Foodsopens up an interesting new possibility to eliminate them, at least a little, from our body.
What the study found
A group of researchers — half of them Italian — has discovered that a natural fiber derived from the shell of the Louisiana red crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) could help the body eliminate some of these particles.
The study, coordinated by Professor Umberto Cornelli of Loyola University of Chicago, focused on chitosan, a natural polysaccharide substance already known for its ability to bind lipids and toxic substances.
The researchers observed that, once ingested, chitosan, combined with tartaric acid, forms molecular networks in the stomach capable of binding microplastics and fats, reducing their intestinal absorption.
According to the results, this mix resulted in a 45% increase in the expulsion of microplastics through feces in the healthy volunteers involved in the study.
Micro and nanoplastics – explains Professor Cornelli – are now present throughout the human body. This natural fibre, thanks to its particular structure, can represent a valid support to promote its elimination and contribute to general well-being.
The risks to which microplastics expose us
Micro- and nanoplastics — smaller than 5 millimeters and a micrometer respectively — are formed during the slow degradation of plastic materials. Every year around 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced, and some of it inevitably ends up in the environment, contaminating seas, soils and food chains.
A study published in 2024 on New England Journal of Medicine found microplastics in the carotid plaques of more than half of the patients analyzed, linking them to up to a fivefold greater risk of heart attack, stroke or death in the following three years.
Once plastic particles enter the body, they can reach the bloodstream and accumulate in various organs, contributing to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk.
Plastikdren, the first supplement that promotes the elimination of microplastics
From this line of research Plastikdren was born, a food supplement developed and distributed by Guna, an Italian company known for the production of natural remedies and “low dose medicine”.
The product — based on chitosan from red shrimp and tartaric acid — is described as the first in the world capable of promoting the elimination of ingested microplastics. The first evidence comes from the study published in Foods, which demonstrated a significant increase in the intestinal expulsion of these particles.
Cornelli, however, recalls that “food supplements cannot replace a healthy diet and a balanced lifestyle“, but they can “assist the body’s natural defense mechanisms, reducing the absorption of unwanted substances”.
Sources: Foods/New England Journal of Medicine / Guna
