Drinking water in plastic bottles can increase blood pressure: Study

Science: Our planet is polluted with many things. One of them is microplastics — tiny particles of plastic found in our food and water supplies. These are considered one of the most harmful substances to humans, adversely affecting our health. Now, according to the New York Post, a study published in the journal Microplastics has found that drinking from plastic bottles can increase blood pressure as a result of microplastics entering the bloodstream. These have already been linked to heart health, hormone imbalances, and even cancer. This new study is conducted by the Department of Medicine at Danube Private University in Austria, and published in the journal Microplastics. The team of researchers gave one group of participants a liquid that was not in a plastic bottle and found that their blood pressure decreased significantly. “Notable trends were observed,” the team wrote in the study, as the Post reports. The study results suggest that for the first time, a reduction in plastic use can lower blood pressure, possibly due to a reduced amount of plastic particles in the bloodstream.” He further added, “Based on the findings indicating a reduction in blood pressure with a reduction in plastic consumption, we speculate that plastic particles present in the bloodstream may contribute to hypertension.” He concluded that beverages packaged in plastic bottles should be avoided. A few years ago, scientists found that 5 grams of microplastics enter the bloodstream of humans every week through liquids packaged in bottles. Boiling and filtering tap water are among the methods described to prevent microplastics from entering the body. These methods can reduce the presence of microplastics (and nanoplastics) by about 90 percent.