Health Update: Plastics are Killing Many of Us!

Mark Smith • April 22, 2024

Hey there everyone:

 

There is a lot in the news about micro and nanoplastics in our food, water, soaps, toothpastes, paper cups, the air we breathe, and it seems that nearly 100% of us will test positive for them in lab tests. But while it seems pretty intuitive that it is not a great idea to have our bodies fill up with plastic, only recently has there been data that has been able to associate health problems with these toxins. The study said this:


A part of the study “group reported that a greater concentration of polyethylene correlated with greater expression of inflammatory biomarkers and markers of lymphocyte and macrophage infiltration (which are also strong markers of inflammation...Dr Smith).”


“In this study, patients with carotid artery plaque in which MNPs (micro and nano plastics) were detected had a higher risk of a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause at 34 months of follow-up than those in whom MNPs were not detected.”

 

https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/environmentalhealth/109042?xid=nl_mpt_Neurology_update_2024-03-08&eun=g1613163d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Automated%20Specialty%20Update%20Neurology%20BiWeekly%20FRIDAY%202024-03-08&utm_term=NL_Spec_Neurology_Update_Active#

 

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822


Bottom Line:

 

While this study does not prove causality, if you have been following any of my previous blogs, you will notice above that these plastics tend to increase the expression of non-purposeful inflammation…and you already know that it is precisely this inflammation that causes, perpetuates, and aggravates ALL chronic health conditions, disability and even death.


With the world as it is today, we need to live defensively to a certain extent. Our best strategy is to reduce our inflammatory load by reducing our exposure by not drinking plastic bottled water, not using plastic wrap on food, heating plastic plates or dishes in the microwave, bring your own re-useable bags to the grocery, using glass and silicon to store food, using ceramic or enamel or stainless-steel cookware, bring your own cup to your favorite coffee shop and avoid the plastic lined paper cups, etc. As a final bit of news on how to protect yourself, it appears that boiling your drinking water can also reduce your plastics burden:                             


https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00081




By Mark Smith March 23, 2026
Health News Update: How To Fight Inflammation and Chronic Disease 3.23.26 Hello again everyone: You might wonder why I keep focusing on food…so here are some of the reasons: food choices are the leading cause of death in the U.S. and spreading around the world. Poor food choices lead to inflammation which slowly destroy health. It is that simple, plain, and clear and backed by research. The next question: how do we fight back? Introduction The positive impact of food on health was postulated by the ancient Hippocrates, father of modern medicine with his famous quote: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” [1]. In the 21st century, scientists have focused on the effect of nutritional habits in diseases. Nowadays, it is well documented that food plays a noteworthy role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases namely cardiovascular diseases (CVD), metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus type II, and cancer [2–5], as it correlates with others with the lipid pattern, the blood pressure, and the endothelial function. The scientists examine the effect of nutritional habits on disease emergence and progression in both individual nutrient intake and dietary patterns models. Worldwide, two dietary patterns are usually compared—the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the Western diet (WD) [3,6]. The Mediterranean diet reflects the food culture of most Mediterranean countries based on olive oil consumption, seasonal fresh vegetables, cereals, and plants in balance with low consumption of meat [7]. The Western diet, on the contrary, is dominated by high-fat dairy products processed and red meat [8]. However, discordance in the different MD patterns and consumed food doses had been recognized. Without any doubt, those discrepancies could confine and restrict our knowledge on the health benefit mechanisms of the MD [9]. Due to the above, the medical community along with nutritionists and dieticians take a keen interest in MD and its traits [7]. https://www.academia.edu/45378994/biomedicines_Mediterranean_Diet_as_a_Tool_to_Combat_Inflammation_and_Chronic_Diseases_An_Overview?email_work_card=view-paper food choices can fight inflammation and chronic disease Bottom Line: This is a 2020 paper and since then literally hundreds of papers on the MD have emerged showing how the food plan lowers inflammation and the risk for developing multiple chronic illnesses. Even still, lots of research needs to be done to elucidate the many mechanisms of how food impacts our system and how to optimally individualize dietary recommendations. At this point, our best strategy to prevent and/or recover from any chronic condition is to eat as clean and natural as possible. It has become rather obvious that the further away from a natural diet we get, the sicker we become. On top of that, I have yet to see a full recovery from any health issue without the foundation of a predominantly plant-based, unprocessed, whole foods approach…which is why I keep posting about this subject. All the best to you and yours!
By Mark Smith March 16, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith March 2, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 23, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 22, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 16, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 2, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith January 26, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith January 19, 2026
New Title
More Posts