Ingesting microplastics may increase fat absorption by 145 per cent

Microplastics in our food and water may increase how much fat we digest and absorb, potentially heightening the risk of obesity, heart disease and other conditions associated with consuming too much fat.

When plastics are degraded by sunlight, water, landfill incinerators and other processes, they can form microplastics – fragments less than 5 millimetres long. “As they degrade, they become smaller and smaller, going down into the nanoscale,” says Philip Demokritou at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “A nano is …