Kimchi may help remove microplastics

Scientists are studying whether kimchi a popular Korean fermented food could help the body remove harmful microplastics.

Early research suggests that certain beneficial bacteria found in kimchi may attach to tiny plastic particles during digestion making it easier for the body to remove them through waste.

Microplastics are extremely small pieces of plastic that have already been found in human blood lungs and even the placenta.

People can take them in through food drinking water and the air they breathe raising concerns about their possible health effects.

In the study researchers examined a type of lactic acid bacteria taken from kimchi.

They tested it in mice and found that animals given the probiotic passed nearly twice as many microplastic particles in their waste compared with those that did not receive it.

Laboratory tests also showed that the bacteria attached to about 57% of the microplastic particles suggesting it may help remove them from the body.

However researchers stressed that these findings are still preliminary.  The study does not prove that eating regular kimchi will have the same effect in humans.

More clinical studies are needed before scientists can confirm whether kimchi or its beneficial bacteria can help reduce microplastics in the human body.