Paternal Microplastic Exposure & Metabolic Disorders

• 29 Dec 2025

Recent animal studies show that a father’s exposure to microplastics can increase the risk of metabolic disorders in children, with daughters being more vulnerable to developing diabetes. The study is the first to establish a direct link between paternal exposure to microplastics and long-term health effects in the next generation.

Key Points

• Microplastics Defined: Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimetres in size, formed from the breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste.
• Study Design: Male mice were exposed to microplastics and fed a high-fat diet to induce metabolic stress, including high blood sugar, increased blood pressure, and excess body fat.
• Sex-Specific Outcomes:
  • Female offspring of exposed fathers showed a significantly higher susceptibility to metabolic disorders despite identical diets.
  • Male offspring did not develop diabetes but exhibited a slight yet significant reduction in fat mass.
• Diabetes Risk in Daughters: Female offspring developed diabetic phenotypes, marked by increased expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-diabetic genes in the liver.