Prevalence of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke increased in coastal counties with very high versus low MMLs
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) — 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.”
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