Scientists have written a lot about how many microplastics and nanoplastics are in the environment and in our bodies. Microplastics are larger than 1 millionth of a metre, while nanoplastics are smaller than that. A new study has found that bacteria from the fermented Korean dish kimchi can help to take nanoplastics out of the body. The World Institute of Kimchi discovered a microbe that attaches itself to nanoplastics in the stomach. The nanoplastic then safely leaves in our bodily waste. It does not pass through our body and into organs like the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver.
Nanoplastics are worrying the medical community. There are many side effects. Doctors believe people take in up to 120,000 tiny pieces of nanoplastic every year. Newspapers often print stories about our body having 7 grams of plastic. This is about the size of a credit card. The scientists in Korea believe their research might help to reduce the plastic in our bodies. The lead researcher said fermented foods could be "a new biological approach" to tackle the nanoplastic problem. He will continue to look at how kimchi can help us and our health.
Try the same news story at these levels:
Kimchi - Level 0, Kimchi - Level 1 or Kimchi - Level 3
Sources- https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-say-this-popular-food-could-help-your-body-get-rid-of-microplastics/
- https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-found-in-kimchi-helps-remove-nano-micro-plastic-particles-from-the-body/
- https://phys.org/news/2026-03-kimchi-derived-probiotic-excretion-intestinal.html
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