New Delhi, December 27 (IANS). A recent study has shown that if fathers are more exposed to microplastics (small plastic particles), the risk of diseases like diabetes may increase in their daughters.
This study was conducted on rats, but gives important indications for humans also. Microplastics are everywhere around us—in water, food, air—and they can accumulate in the body. This is the study of scientists from UC Riverside (University of California) in December 2025.
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles (less than 5 millimeters) that form from consumer products and industrial waste.
Although microplastics have already been detected in the human reproductive system, this study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, is the first to focus on paternal microplastic exposure and the health of the next generation.
“Our discovery brings new hope to the field of environmental health, focusing on how both parents’ environments contribute to their children’s health,” said lead author Changcheng Zhou, professor of biomedical sciences at the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside.
Zhou further said, “These results of the study on rats may also have an impact on humans. Men who are thinking of having children should avoid coming in contact with harmful things like microplastics to protect both their health and that of their future children.”
For the study, the team induced metabolic disorders—(increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess body fat)—in rat models by feeding them a high-fat diet. The results showed that father’s exposure to microplastics had a greater impact on daughters. On high-fat diet, he developed insulin resistance (reduced effect of insulin), which is an early sign of diabetes. His blood sugar did not decrease quickly even after insulin injection. Inflammation in his liver increased and genes related to diabetes became more active. Also, the muscles became weak.
The sons did not suffer from diabetes, but their fat mass reduced slightly. Overall, the effect was greater in girls.
“The exact reasons for this gender-specific effect are still unclear,” Zhou said.
“Our study shows for the first time that paternal microplastic exposure causes metabolic problems in children,” Zhou said.
–IANS
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