by Dr.Harald Wiesendanger– Klartext
What the mainstream media is hiding
More and more microplastics are finding their way into our bodies—and staying there. They accumulate in all tissues and organs, even penetrating the brain. Numerous studies document the alarming damage they can cause there. The good news: Our bodies have a built-in defense system against them. We just have to activate it. How?
A piece of plastic, held between two chopsticks like a sushi bite. In 2019, the WWF sent this photo around the world, and the world took notice. One credit card per week, they said, is what every person consumes. Five grams. Every week. For a lifetime.
A spectacular image. And a spectacular miscalculation.
The figure comes from a WWF-funded analysis by the University of Newcastle. It didn’t estimate five grams, but rather a range of 0.1 to 5—the WWF picked the upper end because that was the only way to photograph the credit card. Later, colleagues double-checked the calculation. Their verdict: serious errors, an overestimation by several orders of magnitude. An Italian aerosol researcher crunched the numbers for the amount inhaled and calculated that it would take about three millennia to accumulate the equivalent of a credit card. His comment: To him, the whole thing sounded like a bad joke.
Anyone who still bandies about “five and a half grams” today is, therefore, quoting an advertising slogan, not a scientific finding.
And why is that important? Because the truth doesn’t make the horror any less. It just shifts it.
Contaminated. For life. Now what?
Because what matters isn’t the weight, but the location. A chunk of tire debris that slides through the intestines and comes back out is a nuisance. A nanoparticle that lodges in a blood vessel wall is something else entirely. The tiniest fragments—one to one hundred millionths of a millimeter; a human hair is five hundred to a thousand times thicker—bypass our defenses and remain wherever they end up.
For example, in the cardiovascular system. In 2024, eight Italian physicians examined 257 carotid artery plaques that surgeons had previously removed. Nearly half contained plastic. Over the following 34 months, these patients suffered a heart attack, stroke, or death about four times more frequently than those without plastic in their plaques. In July 2026, the same research group followed up; this time, they drew blood directly from the coronary arteries of 61 patients. They found microplastics in 84% of patients with acute heart attacks—compared to 40% of those with chronic heart disease and 32% of people with clean arteries. In addition, levels of inflammatory mediators—TNF-alpha and interleukin-6—were elevated.
A research group led by Maria Scuto and Angela Salinaro from the University of Catania describes what happens when microplastics accumulate in our bodies in two review articles: one on glucose metabolism in “Nutrients” (1), and one on the brain and Alzheimer’s disease in the “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” (2). In “Nutrients,” the research team demonstrates that these particles can disrupt blood sugar regulation and contribute to oxidative stress and insulin resistance, which are associated with type 2 diabetes.
The second study traces the particles all the way to the brain. There, long-term exposure to plastic causes oxidative stress. This damages neurons while simultaneously weakening the brain’s antioxidant defenses. As a result, inflammation increases. This affects the way nerve cells use glucose for energy—leading to increased insulin resistance. Our brain consumes enormous amounts of energy every day. When brain cells have difficulty accessing glucose or utilizing it efficiently, memory, learning ability, concentration, and cognitive functions suffer long before obvious symptoms appear. As the researchers explain, this process contributes to the formation of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles—two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
What can we do? Are we defenseless against this alarming process?
Excrete? Flush out?
Unfortunately, we cannot rely on the body to quickly excrete the ingested microplastics. (3) Although they can be detected in our urine and feces, (4) But finding it in the toilet doesn’t mean nothing gets trapped elsewhere. And for the nanofraction, the opposite rule applies: the smaller the particle, the more easily it crosses barriers—and the less likely it is to come back.
Can it be flushed out? Some alternative medicine practitioners use such promises to attract unsuspecting customers. Numerous “hot tips” are circulating online, such as an “anti-plastic tea” made from mullein and olive leaves, lemon balm, and fenugreek seeds, among other ingredients. Chitosan, a substance derived from crustacean shells, is said to act as a “natural microplastic detox” — like a “vacuum robot in the gut.” Other vendors swear by mixtures containing chlorella, lycopene, and citric acid. What all these claims lack is the same thing: proof.
Chitosan currently seems the most promising: According to a study published in Scientific Reports in 2025, it actually increased the excretion of polyethylene—specifically, 200-micrometer-sized particles—in the gut of rats. This says absolutely nothing about the blood, brain, or kidneys.
A similar caveat applies to a high-tech detox called the “Clari Procedure,” marketed by “Clarify Clinics” in London: a blood purification treatment starting at 9,750 British pounds—equivalent to over 11,400 euros—that supposedly removes microplastics and other synthetic particles larger than 5 µm from blood plasma. By way of comparison: Can a contaminated landscape be remediated by flushing out the rivers and streams that flow through it?
Currently, there is not a single known method for removing plastic particles that have already entered the brain or other organs. None. We are all contaminated. And we will remain so for the rest of our lives.
That leaves two approaches: letting less in—and coping with it better.
Hope is called “Nrf2”
For the second approach, the body already has the mechanism in place. It’s called Nrf2—three letters, a number, a protein that commands one of our cells’ most important defense systems.
At rest, a guardian protein called Keap1 holds it in place. When the cell signals stress, Nrf2 breaks free, migrates into the nucleus, and activates dozens of genes there: antioxidants, detoxification enzymes, and repair programs. It’s like a fire alarm that triggers the sprinkler system. It’s present in every cell—it just needs to be triggered.
Many plant-based nutrients stimulate precisely this signaling pathway, including polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids. (5)
Plastic Defense from the Veggie Drawer
Such nutrients are found in a wide variety of plant-based foods, including berries, herbs, spices, and colorful fruits and vegetables.
They do not act on just a single mechanism. Instead, they specifically influence several stages of the damage process, including antioxidant defense mechanisms, glucose metabolism, inflammation control, and nerve cell survival.
Cynarin from artichokes releases Nrf2 from its repressor, reduces neuroinflammation, and decreases beta-amyloid and tau deposits. (6) Ursolic acid—found in apple peels, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and cranberries—stimulates antioxidant enzymes and improves memory in animal studies. Verbascoside from olives and lemon verbena strengthens the intestinal barrier. Also diosmin from citrus peels, baicalin from Chinese skullcap, sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts, curcumin from turmeric, EGCG from green tea—and the sulfur compounds from garlic, onions, and leeks.
Those who eat the same apple and the same muesli every week cover a narrow spectrum; those who rotate herbs, spices, teas, and colorful vegetables cover a broad one. And anyone who thinks they can take a shortcut with capsules hasn’t understood the principle: The effect arises from the interaction of these elements, not from the extract alone.
Rather than targeting a single symptom, these nutrients appear to strengthen the underlying cellular defense network, which ensures that brain tissue functions properly despite persistent environmental stressors.
Nutrition Protects
So what does this mean? To reduce the damage that microplastics can cause inside our bodies, we should definitely include Nrf2-activating foods in our diet. Nrf2 helps activate antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes that protect tissues from oxidative stress and inflammation triggered by microplastics.
There is no specific “Nrf2 diet.” Instead of focusing on a single food or just a few, we should base our meals on foods that naturally contain these protective compounds.
· Let’s try a wider variety of fresh herbs and spices—such as ginger and rosemary—teas, and traditional plant-based foods, rather than sticking to the same personal favorites every week. The greater the variety, the broader the spectrum of protective compounds we provide for ourselves.
· Turmeric: The curcumin it contains can activate Nrf2, as demonstrated in a clinical study involving patients with chronic kidney disease.
· Our fruit and vegetable plates should be as colorful as possible. Different colors represent different families of beneficial plant compounds. Berries, grapes, apples, and citrus fruits contain polyphenols such as anthocyanins, resveratrol, quercetin, and hesperidin, which can have a beneficial effect on Nrf2.
· Broccoli sprouts, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and arugula: These contain glucosinolates, which are converted into isothiocyanates. (7) Sulforaphane, one of the most potent dietary components for activating the Keap1–Nrf2 system, has been particularly well studied. Broccoli sprouts contain especially high levels of the precursor compound for sulforaphane.
· Let’s turn to artichokes. They provide a unique blend of polyphenols that are largely absent from modern diets dominated by processed foods.
· Garlic, onions, leeks: Their sulfur-containing compounds can activate antioxidant protective genes via Keap1/Nrf2.
· Green tea: EGCG and other catechins influence the Nrf2 signaling pathway, at least in animal studies.
For an overview: The 20 most potent natural Nrf2 activators here »
Exercise, deep sleep, and a daily rhythm worthy of the name: these also keep the cell’s defenses on their toes. Small steps, consistently repeated, yield more than occasional bursts of common sense.
What else?
Nrf2 is just one of several protective mechanisms. What else can we do? At present, the most sensible approach seems to be combining a range of measures. Hot foods don’t belong in plastic because heat releases the particles. So use glass and stainless steel instead of plastic containers, and don’t put anything in the microwave that has a polypropylene lid. Avoid bottled water: In three brands tested, researchers found an average of 240,000 particles per liter, nine out of ten of which were in the nanoscale range. Replace plastic tea bags with loose-leaf tea—a single bag releases billions of particles into hot water. Wipe surfaces with a damp cloth, ventilate, and use HEPA filters: House dust is the most underestimated source of microplastics of all.
And take care of your gut barrier: eat a diet rich in fiber, fermented foods, and dietary diversity. Certain bacterial strains apparently bind particles to their surface; a Leuconostoc strain isolated from kimchi increased their excretion—at least in mice.
We should establish three lines of defense. Close the door: Take in or inhale as little new plastic as possible. Strengthen the protective wall: Support the gut barrier, the microbiome, and overall metabolic health. And limit the damage: keep oxidative stress and chronic inflammation low.
And the credit card? Let’s forget about it. Not because the problem is small, but because incorrect figures make for a poor foundation—for both panic and policy. The industry that’s stuffing us full of plastic needs only point to a calculation error long enough, and suddenly the entire debate comes under general suspicion.
The inconvenient truth is less dramatic. No one knows how much plastic is inside us. No one can remove it. And no one will be held liable for it. The only option left for the informed individual is self-protection—provided they don’t neglect to live their life while being so preoccupied with worry.
Notes
On the same topic, see the KLARTEXT articles “Creepy: Plastic Toxins in the Brain,” “Microplastics Inside Us: A Time Bomb,” and “Will We End Up as Plastic Idiots?,” which still include the credit card hoax (corrected here at the beginning).
(1) Maria C. Scuto et al.: “Micro- and Nanoplastics and Human Health: Role of Food Nutrients Targeting the Nfe2l2 Gene in Diabetes,” Nutrients 2026, 18(4), p. 600.
(2) Cinzia Lombardo et al.: “Micro- and Nanoplastics and Functional Nutrients in Human Health: Epigenetic Mechanisms and Cellular Resilience Signaling in Brain Insulin Resistance and the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease,” International Journal of Molecular Sciences Dec. 23, 2025;27(1):169. doi: 10.3390/ijms27010169.
(3) See my article “Will We End Up as Plastic Idiots?,” section “Quickly eliminated?”
(4) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258?via%3Dihub#f0005; https://www.sueddeutsche.de/gesundheit/mikroplastik-mensch-1.4181146
(5) Polyphenols are a large family of plant compounds with characteristic phenolic structures. These include, among others, flavonoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes, and lignans. They are found in abundance in fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, and cocoa. Flavonoids—such as quercetin, baicalein, diosmin, and anthocyanins—typically have a basic structure consisting of three interconnected rings. Phenolic acids form another subgroup of polyphenols, such as caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and gallic acid. Terpenoids, on the other hand, are not classified as polyphenols. They are biochemically derived from isoprene building blocks. These include, for example, menthol, carotenoids, and ursolic acid; many of them contribute to the scent and aroma of plants.
(6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18710252/, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38602356/
(7) Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing plant compounds found primarily in broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard, and arugula. These are relatively inactive precursors that serve, among other things, as protective compounds for the plant. They give rise to isothiocyanates when the plant is crushed, chewed, or cut. Sulforaphane is one such compound; many isothiocyanates can activate protective and detoxification programs in our cells, such as the Nrf2 signaling pathway.
Illustrations: DALL-E.