New scientific research has delivered the strongest evidence to date that tiny plastic particles polluting our environment could be directly contributing to cardiovascular disease, with a pronounced effect observed in males.
Sex-Specific Impact Revealed in Laboratory Study
The study, published in the journal Environment International, investigated the potential causal link between microplastics and the development of atherosclerosis, a condition characterised by the build-up of fatty plaques in the arteries. Researchers exposed mice genetically prone to the disease to microplastics over a period of nine weeks.
The results were striking and gender-specific. Male mice showed a significantly accelerated progression of atherosclerosis. The research recorded a 63 per cent increase in plaque accumulation in the animals' main artery. In the brachiocephalic artery, a key vessel, the plaque build-up skyrocketed to more than seven times the level seen in control groups.
Puzzling Lack of Effect in Female Subjects
In a contrasting finding, female mice exposed to the same levels of microplastic pollution did not experience a statistically significant rise in plaque formation. This clear discrepancy points towards a sex-specific biological vulnerability, though the precise mechanisms behind this difference remain unknown.
Scientists are now urgently exploring the reasons why males appear to be more susceptible. Key questions include whether the hormonal profile in males interacts differently with the plastic particles, or if there are fundamental differences in inflammatory or metabolic responses.
Urgent Call for Human Health Research
The study's authors emphasise that while these findings in mice are alarming, the crucial next step is to determine if this heightened risk translates to human populations. The research underscores a pressing global need to fully understand the long-term health impacts of chronic microplastic exposure, which is now virtually unavoidable.
Vishwam Sankaran reported on the findings on Monday 29 December 2025. The study adds substantial weight to growing concerns about plastic pollution, shifting the focus from environmental damage to a direct and quantifiable threat to human cardiovascular health, particularly in men. Public health bodies may soon need to consider microplastics as a novel and pervasive risk factor for heart disease.
