Overview

• A series of four papers published in *Brain Medicine* reveals that microplastics accumulate in the brain at levels comparable to the volume of a plastic spoon, posing significant health risks.
• Ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which constitute over 50% of energy intake in many countries, are identified as a primary source of dietary microplastic exposure, with some items like chicken nuggets containing 30 times more microplastics than whole foods.
• The research links microplastics and UPFs to elevated risks of depression (22%), anxiety (48%), and sleep disorders (41%), with shared neurotoxic pathways including inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter disruptions.
• Microplastic levels in the brain are three to five times higher in dementia patients, raising concerns about their role in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Scientists are calling for the development of a Dietary Microplastic Index to measure exposure and are exploring therapeutic apheresis as a potential method to remove microplastics from the human body.