Link discovered between drinking water from plastic bottles and high blood pressure

Scientists say the link is due to microplastic particles entering the bloodstream.

Scientists found that blood pressure dropped after participants stopped drinking all fluids, including water, from plastic and glass bottles, and drank only tap water for two weeks.

“After extensive research, we concluded that drinks packaged in plastic bottles should be avoided,” said the team from the Department of Medicine at Danube University in Australia.

The study results suggest, for the first time, that reducing plastic use can lower blood pressure, possibly due to a reduction in the size of plastic particles in the bloodstream.

“The changes we observed in blood pressure suggest that reducing plastic particle intake could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” the team added.

Research shows that microplastics, microscopic fragments that result from the degradation of plastic caused by ultraviolet light or from hitting a bottle, are everywhere.

Microplastics have been found in saliva, heart tissue, liver, kidney and placenta. Several studies have found high concentrations in water from plastic bottles.

In the new study, published in the journal Microplastics, scientists asked a group of men and women to get their daily fluid intake from tap water and told them to abstain from drinks stored in plastic or glass bottles.

Multiple blood pressure measurements were taken at the beginning and during the study. Results showed a significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure (the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats) after two weeks.

“Based on the findings that blood pressure decreased with decreased plastic consumption, we hypothesize that plastic particles in the bloodstream may contribute to elevated blood pressure,” the scientists reported.

Source: Daily Mail