Public Health Policy, Legislation & Equity
Regulation, Rights and Public Health in a Changing World
Aims & Scope
Public Health Policy, Legislation & Equity is an international platform for examining how legislation, regulation, and governance shape population health and health equity. Its mission is to advance rigorous, interdisciplinary scholarship to inform fair, evidence-based policy and its effective implementation across diverse settings, including low- and middle-income countries and conflict-affected regions.
Priority areas include:
- Population-level regulation and fiscal policy: salt and sugar legislation, food reformulation and labelling, fiscal policies, and governance of alcohol, tobacco, vaping, heated products and chicha.
- Environmental and planetary health law: air quality, wildfire smoke, climate policy, chemical exposures, microplastics, housing and the built environment.
- Commercial determinants and trade: marketing restrictions; corporate accountability; trade agreements affecting health.
- Vulnerability and mobility: health rights of refugees, migrants and stateless people; health in war zones; detention and carceral health.
- Occupational and labour health: worker-protection legislation; informal and platform-economy labour; exposure regulation.
- Health-systems governance: UHC, financial protection, medicines procurement and supply chains; digital-health regulation; data governance, accountability and anti-corruption.
- Substance use, risk and harm reduction: psychoactive substances; legal and policy architectures for prevention and harm reduction.
- Emerging technologies and hazards: AI regulation; early-warning and biosafety frameworks; synthetic biology.
- Methods and innovation: legal epidemiology; quasi-experimental policy evaluation; comparative law; rights-based and ethical analysis.
ARE MICROPLASTICS IN FOOD A RISK FACTOR FOR OBESITY?
Current evidence, mechanistic pathways and emerging health risks associated with human exposure
Independent research report on microplastics and obesity: mechanisms, epidemiology, policy options and research gaps. Executive summary, glossary, research gap map and pricing available on request in multiple languages.
Microplastics and Obesity
Evidence, Mechanisms and Policy Options
Microplastics are now detected across food systems, water supplies and human tissues. This independent report examines how microplastic exposure may intersect with obesity and metabolic health, summarising current evidence, key mechanisms, uncertainties and implications for public health and research agendas.
About this report
This report provides a structured synthesis of the emerging literature on microplastics and obesity, aimed at policy-makers, clinicians, researchers and civil society organisations. It combines a critical review of epidemiological, experimental and mechanistic studies with an assessment of regulatory and policy responses in different jurisdictions.
Key components include:
- A conceptual framework linking microplastic exposure to obesity and metabolic risk
- Critical appraisal of human and animal evidence
- Discussion of plausible biological pathways
- Mapping of research gaps and methodological challenges
- Policy and public health implications, with illustrative scenarios
- Dedicated glossary for non-specialist readers
Are microplastics in food a risk factor for obesity?
Summary
Microplastics, defined as plastic particles typically less than 5 mm in diameter, have become pervasive in the environment, being detected in food, water, and air. Although the health implications of microplastics for humans remain incompletely understood, recent studies indicate a potential association between microplastics in food and an elevated risk of obesity. These particles, along with associated endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A, phthalates, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are increasingly found in food, water, and air.
Emerging evidence suggests that microplastics may contribute to obesity through mechanisms such as hormonal disruption, metabolic interference, gut microbiome dysbiosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Considering the tripling of global obesity rates since 1975, microplastics may constitute an under-recognised dietary risk factor. Mechanistic evidence from animal and in vitro studies is robust, consistently demonstrating disruption of hormonal and metabolic pathways. However, human evidence remains limited, predominantly cross-sectional and correlative, with a lack of robust longitudinal data.
Despite the absence of conclusive human evidence, the precautionary principle advocates for public health measures to mitigate exposure. This includes enhancing regulations on plastic food-contact materials, encouraging dietary shifts away from ultra-processed foods, and investing in research on exposure, biomarkers, and long-term health impacts.
Les microplastiques présents dans les aliments constituent-ils un facteur de risque d’obésité ?
Résumé
Les microplastiques, définis comme des particules plastiques généralement inférieures à 5 mm de diamètre, sont devenus omniprésents dans l’environnement, étant détectés dans les aliments, l’eau et l’air. Bien que les répercussions des microplastiques sur la santé humaine restent partiellement comprises, des études récentes indiquent une association potentielle entre la présence de microplastiques dans l’alimentation et un risque accru d’obésité. Ces particules, ainsi que des produits chimiques perturbateurs endocriniens tels que le bisphénol A, les phtalates et les substances per- et polyfluoroalkylées (PFAS), sont de plus en plus présents dans les aliments, l’eau et l’air.
Des données émergentes suggèrent que les microplastiques pourraient contribuer à l’obésité par des mécanismes tels que la perturbation hormonale, l’interférence métabolique, la dysbiose du microbiote intestinal, l’inflammation et le stress oxydatif. Étant donné le triplement des taux mondiaux d’obésité depuis 1975, les microplastiques pourraient constituer un facteur de risque alimentaire sous-estimé. Les preuves mécanistiques issues d’études animales et in vitro sont solides, démontrant de manière constante des perturbations des voies hormonales et métaboliques. Cependant, les données humaines restent limitées, principalement transversales et corrélatives, avec une absence de données longitudinales robustes.
Malgré l’absence de preuve concluante chez l’humain, le principe de précaution plaide en faveur de mesures de santé publique pour réduire l’exposition. Cela inclut un renforcement de la réglementation des matériaux plastiques en contact avec les aliments, l’encouragement à réduire la consommation d’aliments ultra-transformés, et des investissements dans la recherche sur l’exposition, les biomarqueurs et les effets à long terme sur la santé.
¿Son los microplásticos en los alimentos un factor de riesgo para la obesidad?
Resumen
Los microplásticos, definidos como partículas de plástico generalmente menores de 5 mm de diámetro, se han vuelto omnipresentes en el medio ambiente, detectándose en alimentos, agua y aire. Aunque las implicaciones para la salud humana de los microplásticos aún no se comprenden completamente, estudios recientes indican una posible asociación entre los microplásticos presentes en los alimentos y un mayor riesgo de obesidad. Estas partículas, junto con sustancias químicas asociadas que alteran el sistema endocrino, como el bisfenol A, los ftalatos y las sustancias per- y polifluoroalquiladas (PFAS), se encuentran cada vez más en los alimentos, el agua y el aire.
Evidencias emergentes sugieren que los microplásticos podrían contribuir a la obesidad a través de mecanismos como la alteración hormonal, la interferencia metabólica, la disbiosis del microbioma intestinal, la inflamación y el estrés oxidativo. Considerando que la tasa mundial de obesidad se ha triplicado desde 1975, los microplásticos pueden constituir un factor de riesgo dietético poco reconocido. La evidencia mecanicista procedente de estudios en animales y estudios in vitro es sólida y demuestra de manera consistente la alteración de vías hormonales y metabólicas. Sin embargo, la evidencia en humanos sigue siendo limitada, predominantemente de tipo transversal y correlacional, y carece de datos longitudinales sólidos.
A pesar de la ausencia de evidencia concluyente en humanos, el principio de precaución aboga por la adopción de medidas de salud pública para mitigar la exposición. Esto incluye fortalecer la regulación sobre materiales plásticos en contacto con alimentos, fomentar reducir el consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados e invertir en investigación sobre la exposición, los biomarcadores y los impactos en la salud a largo plazo.
Downloadable materials
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Executive summary
Concise overview of key findings, methods and conclusions.
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Glossary of terms
Definitions of key technical, regulatory and methodological terms related to microplastics, toxicology and obesity research.
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Research gaps
Structured overview of evidence gaps, priority research questions, and recommended study designs for epidemiology, toxicology, mechanistic and policy research.
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Emphasises population-level evidence, regulatory context and policy scenarios, with a streamlined methods section. Suitable for public health agencies, NGOs and advocacy groups.
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