Harmless Snacks or Depression Fuel? Microplastics Found in Junk Food

Liberty Nation ^ | May 26, 2025 | John Klar

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We all know junk food is bad – but a new study shows just how toxic it really is.

Recent articles have converged to paint a horrifying picture of Americans’ increasingly ultra-processed diets and likely brain damage from the microplastics that saturate many foods, especially “fast food” from take-out restaurants. The US leads the world in junk food consumption, and microplastics may account for rising rates of obesity, depression, anxiety, and dementia. These findings are reinforced by the May 22 MAHA Commission Report, which identifies food toxins as a prominent contributor to the alarming spike in disease in US children.

Plastic Toxins in Food

Almost everything humans eat is now tainted with microplastics, especially phthalates, which are esters of phthalic acid used as plasticizers to enhance the flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity of plastic. These are present in a wide range of products, including cosmetics and paints, but they are also absorbed in food through packaging and processing – tubing, conveyor belts, and gloves used in food service all contribute. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors that adversely impact hormonal functions. Additional chemicals in plastic include bisphenols such as BPA (bisphenol-A) and PFAS. Very few studies have examined the effects of microplastics on human health.

Ultra-processed junk food generally contains higher levels of microplastics due to its packaging, additives, and exposure to processing equipment. Fast-food restaurants increase contamination by using plastic gloves, plasticizers in to-go containers, and additional packaging to improve production efficiency. Microwaving plastics also amplifies exposure, as alleged in a recently filed class action lawsuit against Ziploc that asserts the company misled consumers about the dangers of heating its products in food preparation.

Few regulations restrict these chemicals in food production, and manufacturers are not required to test for them routinely. Consumer Reports tested nearly 100 foods and measured bisphenols and phthalates, often at high...

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: eatplastic; microplastic; microplastics; panicporn; plastic

[Flaming Conservative]

Homemade food is best, if you’re careful about ingredients, but sometimes hard to replicate our favorite fast foods. Here’s the absolutely best fried chicken recipe I’ve ever tried. (crunchy crunchy, not soft like KFC):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MWlHuWmnyek

[Fungi]

Wrong beer.

[Flaming Conservative]

? I don’t get it

[DennisR]

“A recent umbrella review in The BMJ—including nearly 10 million participants—found that people who consumed ultra-processed foods had a 22% higher risk of depression, 48% higher risk of anxiety, and 41% higher risk of poor sleep outcomes, among numerous adverse physical health outcomes.”

Which is probably why they eat junk food. Cart…horse. As usual, fear mongers do not know how to look below the surface. No critical thinking skills. Pathetic.

[NorthMountain]

Microplastics: The latest piece of fearmongering designed to keep you (yes, YOU!) in a state of perpetual panic begging for Big Government to come and save you.

[Fungi]

They said it must be eaten with a beer and it showed Budweiser,one of the worst beers on the planet.

[frank ballenger]

History.

In 2014, Subway removed azodicarbonamide from its bread due to public outcry and concerns about its presence in yoga mats and shoe soles. This chemical was used as a dough conditioner.

[frank ballenger]

RE:...a 22% higher risk of depression, 48% higher risk of anxiety, and 41% higher risk of poor sleep outcomes...

And a 90% chance of becoming a Trump Derangement Syndrome follower of the Dems. 🤪

Might explain some things.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Wrong beer.

NOT beer! 🤮

[Nervous Tick]

Looks tasty. I like the method of presenting the recipe.

[SunkenCiv]

The rest of the 'microplastic' and 'microplastics' keywords, sorted:

• "Safe" Plant-Based Plastics Linked to Organ Damage [04/15/2025]
• Your Best Defense Against Microplastics Might Already Be in Your Produce Drawer [04/07/2025]
• Chewing gum shedding microplastics into our bodies, researchers warn [03/28/2025]
• Plastic Shards May Be Increasing In Human Brains [02/10/2025]
• Seafood shocker as 99% of US products comes back positive for toxic chemicals linked to cancer [02/07/2025]
• Study finds high concentrations of plastics in the placentas of infants born prematurely [02/02/2025]
• Scientists say they may have found what's causing so many unexplained cancers [01/08/2025]
• Commercial tea bags release millions of microplastics, entering human intestinal cells [12/25/2024]
• I wonder how many different "scientists" missed the simple math error in Megan Liu's study that caused an unjustified panic over Black Plastic Utensils. Oh look. Their organization is called Toxic Free Future. This is why I favor meritocracy [12/23/2024]
• Plastic chemical phthalate causes DNA breakage and chromosome defects in sex cells, new study finds [11/02/2024]
• Autism in boys linked to common plastic exposure in the womb [08/09/2024]
• Biden declares war on... plastic: 'The world's on fire and he's worried about plastic forks' [08/07/2024]
• Priorities: Biden Admin to Eliminate Plastic Cutlery in Move to Save the Planet [08/06/2024]
• Melamine sponges shed microplastics when scrubbed, study shows [06/21/2024]
• Microplastics found in every human testicle [05/21/2024]
• Scientists Create Swarming Micro-Robots That Can "Hunt" Microplastics and Bacteria Contaminating Water [05/08/2024]
• Study - microplastics found in placentas associated with decreased fetal length, weight [03/26/2024]
• Study raises questions about plastic pollution's effect on heart health [03/09/2024]
• Microplastics Found in Sediment Layers Untouched by Modern Humans [02/23/2024]
• Plastic Industry Knew Recycling Was a Farce for Decades Yet Deceived the Public, Report Reveals [02/17/2024]
• Startling new report finds hormone-warping chemicals in 99 PERCENT of food sold in American stores - which may raise risk of cancer, autism and infertility [01/12/2024]
• Plastic Chemicals Causing Infertility, Diabetes Found 'Widespread' In Common Food Items: Report [01/09/2024]
• Microplastics found in overwhelming majority of American meat, water, plants: study. [01/09/2024]
• Microplastics found in nearly 90% of meat, plant-based alternatives: 'There's no escaping them' [01/09/2024]
• Bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of plastic bits: study [01/08/2024]
• Warning: Paper Drinking Straws May Be Harmful to Health and Worse for the Environment Than Plastic Versions [08/30/2023]
• Cork inventor creates method to remove plastic from water [Ireland] [08/11/2023]
• Contact lenses found to shed microplastics [06/17/2023]
• What's in your drinking water? If you live in one of these states, it might soon be recycled sewage [08/19/2022]
• Alarming Study Finds Most Bottled Water Is Full of Microplastics [08/01/2022]
• Scientists unveil bionic robo-fish to remove microplastics from seas [China] [06/23/2022]
• Disease-causing parasites could be pouring into oceans and infecting wildlife and humans after hitching a ride on MICROPLASTICS [04/26/2022]
• Plastics Used in Face Masks Have Been Found in Patients' Lungs [04/25/2022]
• Microplastics are found in human BLOOD for the first time as scientists warn particles could travel around the body and become lodged in organs [03/24/2022]
• People with IBD have more microplastics in their feces, study says (Possible cause?) [12/28/2021]
• STUDY: Chemical That Causes Penises To Shrink Found In Face Masks [03/28/2021]
• Here comes another global disaster! Microplastics. [06/07/2019]
• For decades, Garfield telephones kept washing ashore in France. Now the mystery has been solved. [04/01/2019]

[Flaming Conservative]

Ah. I don’t drink, but I manage to enjoy it with iced tea. Fried chicken is my favorite entree, and I’ve used this recipe several times. It’s perfect!

[Flaming Conservative]

I do too. I hate those videos where the presenter just won’t shut up!

[HartleyMBaldwin]

I thought “microplastics” referred to tiny particles of plastic, but the excerpt seems to be talking about food contamination by chemicals from plastics.

[Retrofitted]

You’re right. https://www.britannica.com/technology/microplastic

[stars & stripes forever]

The sudden panic about microplastics...

Could it be scientists, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies are trying to deflect attention away from Covid-19 ahots.

[NorthMountain]

“Microplastics”: yet another case of fearmongering to keep YOU in a state of perpetual panic begging for Big Government to save you.