Skip to main content

Marine Microplastic Levels Linked to Cardiometabolic Disease Prevalence

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 18, 2025.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025 -- In coastal counties, marine microplastic levels (MMLs) are associated with the prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases, according to a study published online June 18 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Bhargav Makwana, M.D., from the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, and colleagues geospatially analyzed microplastic concentration data within 200 nautical miles of the U.S. coastline to calculate mean MMLs. The coastal counties were stratified into four categories: low, medium, high, or very high MMLs. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke in these counties was examined using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2019 to 2020 survey data, and the associations between disease prevalence and MMLs were examined.

The researchers found that compared with counties with low levels, counties with very high MMLs had an 18, 7, and 9 percent higher adjusted prevalence of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke, respectively.

"This study adds to a growing body of evidence that the garbage we discard into the environment often finds its way back to us. It's time to shift from awareness to action," senior author Sarju Ganatra, M.D., also from Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, said in a statement. "We urge policymakers to view plastic pollution as an environmental crisis as well as a potential health crisis."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Spironolactone Does Not Reduce Risk for Cardiovascular Morbidity, Mortality in Patients on Dialysis

THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 -- Spironolactone does not reduce a composite outcome of cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization due to heart failure among patients receiving...

Shared, Sex-Specific Body Fat Patterns Linked to Cardiovascular Aging

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27, 2025 -- Shared and sex-specific patterns of body fat are associated with changes in cardiovascular aging, according to a study published online Aug. 22 in the...

Seniors With Certain Cardiovascular Diseases Saw Life's Essential 8 Scores Decline 2013 to 2018

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 -- From 2013 to 2018, older adults with heart failure, stroke, and hypertension experienced significant declines in Life's Essential 8 (LE8) scores...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.