Toddles pose potential risks to bone health

The production and use of over 400 million tonnes of plastics each year has infected beaches, rivers and even the deeper parts of the ocean, reaching up to 11,000 meters. In addition to the visible environmental impacts, plastic helps to change the climate. It is estimated that plastic production produces 1.8 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. Scientific evidence also suggests that the use of plastic materials in everyday life has affected human health.

A large number of plastic particles are disconnected from curtains, furniture, clothes and other plastic objects. These particles remain in the air, dissolve in drinking water, adhered to food and can inhale, consume or come into contact with people’s skin. Consequently, scientists have found microplastics in blood, brain, placenta, breast milk and human bones.

A study linked to a research program supported by FAPESP and published in the magazine Osteoporosis He was revised 62 scientific articles and found that the trifles have also harmed bone health in various ways. A remarkable example is their ability to harm the function of bone marrow stem cells by promoting the formation of osteoclasts, which are multipurpose cells that degrade the tissue through a process known as bone absorption.

The potential impact of microplastics on bones is subject to scientific studies and is not negligible. For example, in vitro bone cell studies have shown that microplastics weaken cell viability, accelerate cell aging and alter cell differentiation, in addition to promoting inflammation. “

Rodrigo Bueno de Oliveira, Coordinator of the Mineral and Bone Lab

Oliveira reports that animal studies have found that accelerated aging of osteoclasts can endanger bone microstasis, causing malformation. This can lead to bone weakening, deformation and potential pathological fractures. “In this study, the adverse reactions observed, alarmingly, culminated in the interruption of skeletal animal development,” the researcher says.

Oliveira further explains that, although the results of these particles on bone mechanics are not yet fully understood, data suggest that the presence of material in the bloodstream, for example, may endanger bone health. “More impressive, an important body research body suggests that microplastics can reach bone tissue, such as bone marrow and possibly cause metabolism disorders,” he says.

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It is not surprising that the Oliveira team is launching a research program to verify in practice what seems completely theoretically: the relationship between exposure to microplastics and the deterioration of metabolic bone diseases. Using animal models, scientists will study the impact of microplastics on rodent femoral power.

According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), the prevalence of fractures associated with osteoporosis is increasing worldwide due to population aging. It is estimated that there will be an increase of 32% of osteoporosis -related fractures by 2050.

“Improving quality of life and reducing the risk of bone complications, such as fractures, is a priority in health care. We already know that practices such as physical activity, balanced nutrition and pharmacological therapies contribute significantly to it. Sugging that microplastics could be a possible controlled environmental cause to explain, for example, the increase in the projected number of bone fractures, “Oliveira says.