Health
Seafood samples contain high levels of microplastics in US state, say researchers
Microplastics were detected in almost every seafood sample found off the coast of the western U.S. in a recent study, researchers claim.
The study, led by Portland State University (PSU), identified “anthropogenic particles” — which are materials produced or modified by humans — in the edible tissue of six different species of fish.
Those included black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp, according to a PSU press release.
MICROPLASTICS FOUND IN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF AMERICAN MEAT, WATER, PLANTS: STUDY
Specifically, the peer-reviewed study found microplastics — “tiny particles that shed from clothing, packaging and other plastic products” — in 180 out of 182 samples of seafood that were either purchased at a store or obtained from a fishing boat in Oregon, the release stated.
Microplastics were detected in almost every seafood sample found off the coast of the western U.S. in a recent study, researchers claim. (iStock)
The highest concentration of particles occurred in pink shrimp, and Chinook salmon contained the lowest.
“We found that the smaller organisms that we sampled seem to be ingesting more anthropogenic, non-nutritious particles,” said microplastics researcher and study co-author Elise Granek in the release.
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“Shrimp and small fish, like herring, are eating smaller food items like zooplankton. Other studies have found high concentrations of plastics in the area in which zooplankton accumulate, and these anthropogenic particles may resemble zooplankton and thus be taken up for animals that feed on zooplankton.”
“What we put out into the environment ends up back on our plates.”
Susanne Brander, an ecotoxicologist and associate professor in Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, added, “It’s very concerning that microfibers appear to move from the gut into other tissues such as muscle. This has wide implications for other organisms, potentially including humans.”
The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Toxicology.
Is it safe to eat seafood?
The study authors do not recommend that people specifically avoid seafood, as microplastics have been widely found in other food products, Granek noted in the release.
“If we are disposing of and utilizing products that release microplastics, those microplastics make their way into the environment, and are taken up by things we eat,” she said.
Microplastics — “tiny particles that shed from clothing, packaging and other plastic products” — were found in 180 out of 182 samples of seafood. (iStock)
“What we put out into the environment ends up back on our plates.”
The high prevalence of microplastics in the seafood samples does not automatically mean that consuming seafood poses an immediate health risk, according to Bing Wang, PhD, associate professor of food safety risk assessment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“’Safe’ is a relative term in toxicology,” Wang told Fox News Digital. “Toxicity depends on dose and exposure duration — and currently, we lack a definitive understanding of linkage between the oral intake of microplastics and nanoplastics and the adverse effects in human health.”
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Experts agree that the nutritional benefits of seafood, such as high-quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids, play a crucial role in a healthy diet, according to Wang.
“There is no current evidence to suggest that seafood consumption poses an immediate danger to human health,” she added.
Sources of contamination
For this study in particular, Wang said it’s crucial to recognize that beyond microplastics, nanoplastics are also present in the environment and food supply.
“Unlike microplastics, which may pass through the digestive system with minimal absorption, nanoplastics are small enough to cross biological barriers, including the intestinal lining, potentially reaching the bloodstream and accumulating in organs,” she cautioned.
In PSU’s findings, 80% of microplastics detected among the samples were derived from clothing or textile fibers, but there are other sources of contaminants.
Since the 1960s, plastic production has increased by approximately 8.7% annually, according to Andrew Ortiz, a PhD student in the department of food science and technology at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The study authors do not recommend that people specifically avoid seafood, as microplastics have been widely found in other food products. (iStock)
“Much of the contamination comes from everyday human activities, such as improper disposal of plastic products, littering, and inadequate waste management systems, which lead to plastics entering waterways and eventually reaching the oceans,” Ortiz told Fox News Digital.
Completely avoiding microplastics is challenging, Wang emphasized.
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“They are pervasive in the environment and present in various food sources, not just seafood,” she said.
“While this study is the first of its kind in the Oregon region, its findings align with global research on microplastic contamination in seafood,” said Wang. “In fact, the levels reported in this study are within the global average.”
“There is no current evidence to suggest that seafood consumption poses an immediate danger to human health.”
“Given that humans already consume microplastics from multiple sources — including water, air and packaged foods — the presence of microplastics in seafood should be considered within this broader context rather than as an isolated risk,” she added.
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The PSU study was funded by Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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A drug that has long been used to treat seizures has shown promise as a potential means of Alzheimer’s prevention, a new study suggests.
The anti-seizure medication, levetiracetam, was first approved by the FDA in November 1999 under the brand name Keppra as a therapy for partial-onset seizures in adults. The approval has since expanded to include children and other types of seizures.
Northwestern University researchers recently found that levetiracetam prevented the formation of toxic amyloid beta peptides, which are small protein fragments in the brain that are commonly seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
The medication was found to prevent the formation of amyloid-beta 42 in both animal models and cultured human neurons, according to the study findings, which were published in Science Translational Medicine.
The effect was also seen in post-mortem human brain tissue obtained from individuals with Down syndrome, who are at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
The medication was found to prevent the formation of amyloid-beta 42 in both animal models and cultured human neurons. (iStock)
“While many of the Alzheimer’s drugs currently on the market, such as lecanemab and donanemab, are approved to clear existing amyloid plaques, we’ve identified this mechanism that prevents the production of the amyloid‑beta 42 peptides and amyloid plaques,” said corresponding author Jeffrey Savas, associate professor of behavioral neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a press release.
“Our new results uncovered new biology while also opening doors for new drug targets.”
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The brain is better able to avoid the pathway that produces toxic amyloid‑beta 42 proteins in younger years, but the aging process gradually weakens that ability, Savas noted.
“This is not a statement of disease; this is just a part of aging. But in brains developing Alzheimer’s, too many neurons go astray, and that’s when you get amyloid-beta 42 production,” he said.
The effect was also seen in post-mortem human brain tissue obtained from individuals with Down syndrome, who are at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock)
That then leads to tau (“tangles”) — abnormal clumps of protein inside brain neurons — which can kill brain cells, trigger neuroinflammation and lead to dementia.
In order for levetiracetam to function as an Alzheimer’s blocker, high-risk patients would have to start taking it “very, very early,” Savas said — up to 20 years before elevated amyloid-beta 42 levels would be detected.
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“You couldn’t take this when you already have dementia, because the brain has already undergone a number of irreversible changes and a lot of cell death,” the researcher noted.
The researchers also did a deep dive into previous human clinical data to determine whether Alzheimer’s patients who were taking the anti-seizure drug had slower cognitive decline. They reported that the patients in that category had a “significant delay” in the span from cognitive decline to death compared to those not taking the drug.
“This analysis supports the positive effect of levetiracetam to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s pathology,” the researcher said. (iStock)
“Although the magnitude of change was small (on the scale of a few years), this analysis supports the positive effect of levetiracetam to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s pathology,” Savas said.
Looking ahead, the research team aims to find people who have genetic forms of Alzheimer’s to participate in testing, Savas said.
Limitations and caveats
The study had several limitations, including that it relied on animal models and cultured cells, with no human trials conducted.
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Because the study was observational in nature, it can’t prove that the medication caused the prevention of the toxic brain proteins, the researchers acknowledged.
Savas noted that levetiracetam “is not perfect,” cautioning that it breaks down in the body very quickly.
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The team is currently working to create a “better version” that would last longer in the body and “better target the mechanism that prevents the production of the plaques.”
“You couldn’t take this when you already have dementia, because the brain has already undergone a number of irreversible changes and a lot of cell death.”
The medication’s common documented side effects include drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, irritability, headache, loss of appetite and nasal congestion.
It has also been linked to potential mood and behavior changes, including anxiety, depression, agitation and aggression, according to the prescribing information. In rare cases, it could lead to severe allergic reactions, skin reactions, blood disorders and suicidal ideation.
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Funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health and the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.
Fox News Digital reached out to the drug manufacturer and the researchers for comment.
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