The Potential Presence of Microplastics in Daily Food and Beverage Consumption May Lead to Alzheimer's disease in The Thai Population

Abstract :

Environmental issues have become a global crisis. The amount of plastic used has relentlessly increased due to its advantages such as low cost production, lightweight, strength and durability. However, high usage of plastic contributes to microplastics, which are small particles that are difficult to detect and may be found in daily food and beverage consumption. Consequently, it is prone to accumulate in our body and affect our organs, including the brain. From recent studies, there are some possibilities that microplastics exposure can promote human brain damage, including Alzheimer’s. Due to microplastic concerns, this study aims to find out the relation between microplastics in daily food and beverage consumption and Alzheimer’s disease in the Thai population by collecting the responses (509 participants) through a questionnaire. The questionnaire uses Likert scales to evaluate the quantities of daily microplastics consumption, packaging, and Alzheimer assessment. As a result, the data revealed that microplastics consumption has a link to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. We show that microplastics consumption and plastic containers are positively correlated for the Thai population. Consequently, in the course of time, it can lead to other causes of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed when microplastics are accumulated in the human body. Moreover, it can raise social awareness through campaigns or policies on plastics used which have to be immediately reduced.