Microparticles: Little Big Trouble

Topic: Microparticles; Nanoparticles; Ulcerative Colitis

Last revision: 08-13-22

By Eugene L. Heyden, RN

We are all at risk.  This is no small matter.  This is BIG!  You may want to listen.  This post is an edited excerpt from my book, More to Consider in the Battle against Ulcerative Colitis.

There is an unbelievable amount of tiny little additives snuck into our modern foods.  We want foods that are smooth.  We want foods that are creamy.  We want foods that are white.  We want foods that glisten.   We are the modern people.  We eat the modern foods and we come down with the modern diseases.  Surprisingly, the tiniest of things added to our foods can cause big trouble.  Let’s take a look.

 

Microparticles

“Ultrafine and fine particles . . . cause inflammation in susceptible individuals.

“In isolation such microparticles are biologically inert, but during transit through the intestinal track they absorb luminal constituents, such as calcium ions and bacterial lipopolysaccharide [a component of bacterial cell walls].”  ~Lomer et al., 2001 

“Powell et al have proposed that billions of microparticles, mostly titanium, aluminum, and silicon oxides, are ingested principally from food additives. 

While not leading to inflammation in themselves, they are proposed to act as adjuncts, permitting the absorption of other antigens [molecules that trigger an immune response] and preventing their appropriate disposition by the immune system, altering the normal intestinal immune tolerance, and stimulating an immune response.”  ~Korzenik, 2005, emphasis added 

We are continually exposed to microparticles.  They are in the air we breathe.  They are in the water we drink.  They are in the food we eat.  And with respect to the food we eat,

“Significant quantities of titanium dioxide [TiO2] and silicate are swallowed, both as natural contaminants of food and as additives.  In fact, more than 10¹² [1 Trillion] particles per day are ingested.”  (Schneider, 2007, emphasis added)

That’s a lot of microparticles for our gut to deal with—1 trillion per day!  And unfortunately for us, the gut seems to be having a little trouble dealing with all the madness.

What is gradually being recognized is that the microparticles added to our foods can adversely affect the gut—being both pro-inflammatory in some respects, and at the same time, being capable of depressing certain components of the immune system (Kish et al., 2013; Bettini et al., 2017).  And they are added in large amounts, in the form of titanium dioxide (TiO2), iron oxide, silicon dioxide, zinc oxide, and the silver added to food packaging and applied as coatings on toothbrushes (Gatti, 2004), potentially adding to our microparticle intake of approximately 20–80 micrograms per day (McClements and Xiao, 2017).

Of the abovementioned microparticles, TiO2 is the most common microparticle added to our food (Becker et al., 2014).  We like things that are gleaming white.  Toothpaste is gleaming white.  Sugary toppings are gleaming white.  Mayonnaise is gleaming white—so much so that for my personal protection I put on sunglasses every time I spread it on a slice of bread.  TiO2 makes things white.  Obviously, manufacturers love this additive.

Turning our attention to the negative effects microparticles have on the gut, the small intestine seems to be more of a target than the colon; but the colon does not get off Scott-free as it, too, can be adversely affected (Nogueira et al., 2012).  In laboratory animals, studies have shown that TiO₂ microparticles favor the development of low-grade inflammation in the colon and are particularly pro-inflammatory at a time “when the gut is already faced with pathogenic challenges, such as a preexisting colitis.”  (Bettini et al., 2017, emphasis added)  Historically, in the 1950s, disease resembling Crohn’s was created simply by feeding dogs finely-divided sand (Evans et al., 2002).   Did we take notice?  Answer: Apparently not.

Microparticles, in this discussion, certainly include the engineered, supper small particles called nanoparticles.  Nanoparticles are far too small to be seen by the naked eye.  To put things in perspective, a large nanoparticle is about 800 times smaller than the width of a human hair, with a medium-sized nanoparticle being about 1,600 times smaller than the width of a human hair and about half the size of the virus that causes the flu (Yokel and MacPhail, 2011).  Get the picture?  Nanoparticles are, indeed, very, very small.  And with respect to TiO₂, “Previous investigators of TiO₂ particles found that TiO₂ as nano-sized particles is more toxic than similarly composed, but larger sized particles.”  (Nogueira et al., 2012)  Indeed, “Exposure to NPs [nanoparticles] was reported to induce greater inflammation than exposure to larger particles with identical chemical composition and mass concentration.”  (Zhang et al., 2012)  Furthermore, the smaller the particle, the “greater its intracellular bioavailability.”  (Achtschin and Sipahi, 2017)

Leave it to (mad) scientists and engineers to push the envelope and create particles so small they have heinous characteristics.  In fact, their smallness makes them particularly dangerous, as their surface-to-weight ratio gives them more absorbing capacity (Powell, 1996; Richman and Rhodes, 2013; McClements and Xiao, 2017).  And what are they absorbing?  Among other things, they are absorbing the discarded wall components of bacteria, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (Ashwood et al., 2007; Schneider, 2007; Achtschin and Sipahi, 2017).  LPS has a certain look and a certain feel that we can use to our advantage.  Our immune system has cell-based sensors all over the place to detect LPS, and upon detection, an inflammatory response is formulated and executed.  Unfortunately, the more LPS exposure, the greater the focus and intensity of the inflammatory response (Richman and Rhodes, 2013)—with the distinct possibility that microparticles, in combination with LPS or other bacterial components, may mimic invasive bacteria (Ashwood et al., 2007).  And to think, in our Western society, we are individually  exposed to a trillion or more microparticles per day along with an increased exposure to LPS—adding to the reasons why the Western diet is an unhealthy diet, an unhealthy diet that leads to disease.

But it is not only the food we eat that supplies our gut with microparticles in great abundance, air quality is another factor.  Particulate matter in the air we breathe becomes trapped in the mucus layer that lines our airway and lungs (Kish et al., 2013; Nogueira et al., 2012).  But it doesn’t just stay there.  This mucus layer is in constant motion, moving mucus upward towards the throat where it is swallowed, along with entrapped microparticles (Kish et al., 2013; Nogueira et al., 2012).  This normal housekeeping activity (mobilizing and swallowing mucus) supplies the gut with a considerable number of microparticles to deal with.  In this manner, air pollution contributes to non-respiratory disease via microparticle exposure.  Things can get serious.  In addition to a negative effect on the gut, other adverse consequences can occur

“. . . including stroke, myocardial infarction [heart attack], arrythmia [abnormal heart rhythm], cardiac arrest, venous thrombosis [clot in veins], and lung cancer.”  (Kish et al., 2013)

The reason I am going into airborne microparticle exposure in our conversation is because the following conclusion has been reached: “Ingestion of airborne particulate matter alters the gut microbiome and induces acute and chronic inflammatory responses in the intestine.”  (Kish et al., 2013, emphasis added)  So, you can add airborne microparticle exposure to the list of things that are out to get you.

During my review of the issues, I was surprised to learn there was an association identified between air pollution and abdominal pain, as well as an increased risk of appendicitis (Kish et al., 2013)  Something unseemly must be going on.

Since there are several things about microparticles that concern me, and since I believe you should be in the know, I will list my major concerns.  Reports reveal:

 

• There is no GI barrier for inert particles with a diameter below 20 micrometers (Gatti et al., 2004)

 

• Microparticles can suppress Treg numbers (Bettini et al., 2017).  Recall, Treg cells serve to restrain inflammation

 

• Microparticles can alter the microbiome (Kish et al., 2013; McClements and Xiao, 2017)

 

• Microparticles modify the expression of genes, at least 40 of which are found operational in the colon (Kish et al., 2013)

 

• Microparticle TiO2 fed to rats leads to a nearly 40% incidence of precancerous lesions in the colon (Bettini et al., 2017)

 

• Microparticles in food and from pollution enter our water supply, compounding our exposure to microparticles (Kish et al., 2013)

 

• “When a particle measures 20 µm or less, it can pass through the intestinal barrier and is likely to end up in the bloodstream.”  (Gatti and Rivasi, 2002)

 

• Microparticles (several types) “have antimicrobial properties and may therefore alter the balance of different bacterial species in the colon, potentially leading to adverse health effects.”  (McClements and Xiao, 2017)

 

• The smaller the particle, the greater the inflammatory response (Zhang et al., 2012)

 

• “TiO2 as nano-sized particles is more toxic than similarly composed, but larger sized particles.”  (Nogueira et al., 2012)

 

• “Nanoparticles that reach the colon may interact with colonic bacteria and alter their viability, thereby changing the relative proportions of different bacterial species.”  (McClements and Xiao, 2017)

 

• Nanoparticles generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells in which they accumulate, which “may then cause damage to cell membranes, organelles, and the nucleus.”  (McClements and Xiao, 2017)   (Note: ROS causes what is known as oxidative stress.)

 

As to the last point mentioned above, “Oxidative stress is thought to be a key mechanism responsible for adverse biological effects exerted by NPs [nanoparticles].”  (Skocaj et al., 2011)   What does all this have to do with ulcerative colitis?

“Free radicals are inflammatory process mediators capable of causing rupture through the tight junctions of the intestinal epithelial cells layer, thus increasing intestinal paracellular permeability and modifying both the structure and the function of these junctions of the intestinal epithelial cells.  This might be an aggravating factor to an already established inflammatory bowel disease, or even be the primary causative agent triggering an inflammatory response.  The ability of these particles to generate ROS and induce oxidative stress has been proposed as a mechanism of their toxicity.  These properties have been associated with the activation of inflammatory mediators, oxidative DNA damage and mutagenesis. 

 “Micro- and nanoparticles have been found in the colon and the blood of cancer patients and patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, although they were absent in healthy individuals.”  (Achtschin and Sipahi, 2017, emphasis added)

Apparently, a diseased colon is less capable of defending against microparticles than is a healthy colon.  Oh!  If my memory serves me well, you have a diseased colon, one you are not particularly pleased with.

Aside from the sorry state of your colon (and rectum), what should concern us all is the fate of our children and their precious colons.  Because sweets have the highest concentrations of TiO2, and children eat a lot more sweets than adults, children have the highest exposure to this food additive (Weir et al., 2012).  Toothpaste is also a major TiO2-exposure risk for children, precious little children who also come down with IBD in ever-increasing numbers (see Rompelberg et al., 2016).  “Toothpaste dominated the contribution to the dietary intake [of TiO2] by young children (57 %), followed by sweets and cookies.”  (Rompelberg et al., 2016)  Perhaps you should take candy and cookies away from your children and mail them to me for proper disposal.  I will give you my address later.

“It is noteworthy that the amount of TiO2 nanoparticles consumed was 2–4 times higher for children than for adults, which may be due to the fact that products heavily consumed by children has some of the highest levels of TiO2 nanoparticles, such as candies, gums, desserts, and beverages.”  (McClements and Xiao, 2017)

Let’s move on.

So where do we find all those microparticles?  Besides the exposures from the air we breathe and the water we drink (Lomer et al., 2001; Kish et al., 2013) and from the toothpaste we swallow, we are exposed to microparticles when we consume the following:

 

List of food items reported to contain added microparticles*

Mayonnaise (major source)

(Richman and Rhodes, 2013)

 

Salt

Hard-coated candy

Chewing gum

Artificial sweeteners

Marshmallows

Icing for cakes and donuts

Chocolate and malted drink powders

Low-fat or fat-free dressings

Tartar sauce

Horseradish sauce

Thousand Island dressing

Refined carbohydrates

Potato- and corn-based snacks

Pork sausages

(Lomer et al., 2004)

 

Cottage cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Horseradish cream and sauces

Lemon curd,

Low-fat products such as skim milk and ice cream

(Skocaj et al., 2011)

 

Nutritional supplements

Candy

Powdered milk

Salt

(McClements and Xiao, 2017)

 

Candy bars

Bakery product (cake, pie,

pastries, cookies biscuits)

Coffee creamer

Soft, sports drinks, fruit drinks

Breakfast cereal

(Rompelberg et al., 2016)

 

(*Note: Not all manufactures add micro- or nanoparticles to the above-named product or products)

 

Leave it to pharmaceutical companies to add unnecessary microparticles to our medications, including TiO2 and silicates.  But nothing surprises me anymore.

 

Pharmaceuticals reported to be formulated with microparticles**

Ibuprofen

Mesalazine

Co-proxamol

Paracetamol

Co-codamol

Azathioprine

Cyclosporin

Lansoprazole

Azathioprine

Erythromycin

Codeine phosphate

Hormone replacement

Loperamide

Fe (iron) and folic acid

Ranitidine

Budesonide

Aspirin

Diclofenac sodium

Prednisolone

(Lomer et al., 2004)

**Dependent on manufacturer and formulation

 

As we close things out, what are the takeaways?  First, we need to recognize that micro- and nanoparticles represent a threat on many levels—and may be particularly so to those who are battling ulcerative colitis.  Although they do not trigger “IBD-related colitis,” micro- and nanoparticles do favor “the development of low-grade inflammation in the colon.”  (Bettini et al., 2017)  Second, micro- and nanoparticles, so commonplace, are next to impossible to completely avoid.  Third, micro- and nanoparticles can be avoided to a relevant degree—but doing so takes deliberate measures to limit foods high in microparticles.  Forth, since toothpaste represents a major source of microparticles, an easy, first step would be avoid swallowing toothpaste and rinsing thoroughly after brushing.  Alternatively, using a toothpaste (or baking soda) that does not contain microparticles may be a good option.  Such measures are expected to substantially reduce the risk of micro- nanoparticle exposure.  Fifth, preparing and eating home-made foods, made with natural ingredients that do not contain micro- or nanoparticles, will greatly reduce exposure to these unhealthy additives.  Sixth, we can’t assume that products are micro- or nanoparticle-free if they are not listed on the list of ingredients—there may be loopholes that exempt such listing.  And finally, fast and confidence foods typically contain mico- or nanoparticles, so it may be wise to limit their consumption.  Commonsense measures such as these may give you an edge in the battle against ulcerative colitis.  And since yours is a battle that carries an elevated risk for colon cancer, limiting nanoparticles may also be helpful in this regard (see Nogueira et al., 2102).

“Combining all information presently available, we must assume that especially inflammatory conditions at the intestinal mucosa carry an increased risk of NP [nanoparticle] uptake.”  (Sinnecker et al., 2014)

 

 

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Topic: Microparticles; Nanoparticles; Ulcerative Colitis

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Disclaimer: This article is presented solely for informational purposes.  The information contained herein should be evaluated for accuracy and validity in the context of opposing data, new information, and the views and recommendations of a qualified health care professional, and not to be substituted for professional judgment and guidance or to provide reason to neglect or delay appropriate medical care.  It is the reader and reader only who bears the responsibility for any actions that could be construed as being a response to the information contained herein.  The statements and opinions expressed by the author have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA or by any other authoritative body.  This article is offered to the reader to broaden his or her understanding of the issues discussed and to help identify options that may be suitable for the individual to pursue, on behalf of self or others, under approval and direction of a qualified physician or medical team member.  The author and publisher offer no guarantees of the accuracy or validity of the quotations incorporated into this presentation.

 

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