How microplastics alter our gut microbiota

With a global production of 367 million tons in 2020, plastics are everywhere.

And 81% of them become waste after one year.

Often released into nature, they degrade into microplastics, tiny plastic particles that disperse in the environment and can end up on our plates, for example via bottled water and seafood. A study published in 2021 thus revealed that the world population ingested an average of 14 to 700 mg of microplastics per day and per person.

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In research published in the

, scientists from Inrae and the University of Clermont-Auvergne looked at the fate of microplastics in our body, and more particularly at the level of the microbiota, i.e. say all the micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses) that populate our colon.

An innovative study, since it is the first to use in vitro human models to assess…

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