Takeaway food packaging could increase risk of heart failure

A new study in China suggests that disposable plastic containers for food packaging, like those used for takeaways, could damage human cardiovascular health. In experiments on rats, researchers at Ningxia Medical University found that drinking water exposed to the chemical additives that seep from heated plastic packaging provokes changes in the body, first altering gut bacteria and then breaking or misaligning fibers, enflaming cells, and causing mitochondrial swelling in the heart tissue. Rats that consumed plastic contaminants for several weeks also showed bleeding between myocardial cells. It is still unclear if the same process can occur in the human body, but the findings suggest that heated plastic containers are unsafe for food consumption. The authors of the study advised to not use plastic containers for high-temperature food. The experiments on rats were prompted by a survey among old adults in China, which found that respondents with higher exposure to plastic were more likely to suffer congestive heart failure. Other recent research has shown that microplastics accumulate in blood clots within the human brain, heart, and legs, affecting the cardiovascular system.
Plastic containers are made of compounds such as BPA and phthalates that tend to break down and leak when heated. Even containers considered to be microwave-safe can release in a few minutes billions of microplastics and nanoplastics into food. How many of these particles are absorbed by the body when ingested and with what long-term effects are still subject to research and debate. Some studies on clogged arteries in human patients, however, have found accumulations of tiny plastic fragments in more than 50% of plaques. The patients with plastics in their arteries were more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or death than those where plastics were not detected.