Microplastics detected in most heart attack patients' blood in startling new study - Fox News

What the report says

Fox News reported that a new Italian study found micro- and nanoplastics in the coronary artery blood of many patients undergoing angiograms, with the highest detection rate among those experiencing severe heart attacks. The research examined 61 patients and found detectable plastic particles in nearly 84% of those with an active severe heart attack, compared with 40% of patients with chronic heart disease and 32% of patients whose coronary arteries appeared normal.

The study was led by Dr. Raffaele Marfella of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples and published in the European Heart Journal, according to Fox News. Among patients who tested positive for plastic particles, polyethylene — widely used in items such as plastic bags and bottles — was found in 97% of cases. The researchers also reported that a history of smoking was the strongest predictor of detectable plastic particles in the blood.

Fox News cited Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian who was not involved in the research, as saying the findings add to growing interest in how micro- and nanoplastics may relate to cardiovascular disease, but do not establish that plastics cause heart attacks. She noted that the study was observational, relatively small and limited to one country, meaning the results should be interpreted cautiously.

The report places the findings amid wider concern about plastic exposure in food, water and the environment. Routhenstein recommended practical steps such as using glass or ceramic containers for reheating food, reducing use of plastic water bottles and avoiding single-use plastics exposed to heat, while framing plastic reduction as one part of broader heart-health habits.