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.

---

Keywords :

Alzheimer’s disease, Food consumption, Microplastic, Plastic packaging

---

References :

1. Braak, E., Griffing, K., Arai, K., Bohl, J., Bratzke, H., & Braak, H. (1999). Neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease: what is new since A. Alzheimer? European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 249 Suppl 3, 14–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/pl00014168
2. Bujang, M. A., Omar, E. D., & Baharum, N. A. (2018). A Review on Sample Size Determination for Cronbach’s Alpha Test: A Simple Guide for Researchers. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 25(6), 85–99. https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2018.25.6.9
3. Jadhav, E. B., Sankhla, M. S., Bhat, R. A., & Bhagat, D. S. (2021). Microplastics from food packaging: An overview of human consumption, health threats, and alternative solutions. Environmental
4. Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, 16, 100608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2021.100608
5. Gaspar, Lauren, et al. “Acute Exposure to Microplastics Induced Changes in Behavior and Inflammation in Young and Old Mice.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 24, no. 15, 1 Jan. 2023, p. 12308, www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/15/12308, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512308. Accessed 2 Sept. 2023.
6. Lopez-Lee, Chloe, et al. “Mechanisms of Sex Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease.” Neuron, vol. 112, no. 8, 1 Feb. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.024. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.
7. Morris, John C. “Is Alzheimer’s Disease Inevitable with Age?” Journal of Clinical Investigation, vol. 104, no. 9, 1 Nov. 1999, pp. 1171–1173, https://doi.org/10.1172/jci8560. Accessed 12 Oct. 2020.
8. Paing, Y. M. M., Eom, Y., Song, G. B., Kim, B., Choi, M. G., Hong, S., & Lee, S. H. (2024). Neurotoxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on memory and microglial activation: Insights from in vivo and in vitro studies. Science of the Total Environment, 924, 171681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171681
9. Parnuch Hongsawat, Waleerat Thinjong, Bopit Chouychai, Patiparn Punyapalakul, & Panida Prarat. (2024). Microplastics in retail shellfish from a seafood market in eastern Thailand: Occurrence and risks to human food safety. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 201, 116228–116228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116228
10. WDW Know. (1996). Alzheimer’s Awareness. https://greenshootmedia.com/images/September2020Sections/AlzheimersAwarenessPreview.pdf

11. Sallim, A. B., Sayampanathan, A. A., Cuttilan, A., & Ho, R. (2015). Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders
12. Among Caregivers of Patients With Alzheimer Disease. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16(12), 1034–1041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2015.09.007
13. พันธุล์ ีสุรเดช. (2022, December 7). แพทยจ์ฬุ าฯ พั ฒนาเทคนิ คตรวจภาวะสมองเสื อ่ มแฝง หวั งชะลออั ลไซเมอร์ ยามสงูวั ย. จุฬาลงกรณ์ มหาวทิ ยาลัย. https://www.chula.ac.th/highlight/93245/