A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health looks at an ‘inflammatory’ diet during pregnancy and type 1 diabetes risk in children.
Prof Claire Meek, Professor of Chemical Pathology and Diabetes in Pregnancy, Leicester Diabetes Centre, University of Leicester, said:
“While we have known for some time that the mother’s health in pregnancy influences the child’s risk of type 1 diabetes, the role of maternal diet upon children’s diabetes risk is less clear. This interesting new study suggests that mothers who eat a healthy, “anti-inflammatory” diet have a lower risk of type 1 diabetes in their babies – however, it is not clear if these effects are truly due to reduced inflammation, which wasn’t directly measured in the babies. The study findings could also be explained by pregnant women eating higher levels of vitamins and fibre, or choosing foods more likely to keep blood glucose levels and weight under good control. It is also important to remember that people from lower-income families may have less access to healthy food and higher risks of chronic disease, so it may not be a fair assessment of diet.
“However, this study does support broader guidance about the importance of eating a healthy balanced diet in pregnancy, helping keep mums and babies healthy both during pregnancy and in the future.”
Dr John MacSharry, Funded Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland and Senior Lecturer in Virology and Immunology, University College Cork, said:
“The study by Noorzae et al. is a robust prospective analysis linking a pro-inflammatory maternal diet (Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (EDII)) during pregnancy to an increased risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in offspring.
“Their use of a large national cohort and validated registry data strengthens the epidemiological association, and the inclusion of breastfeeding duration as a covariate is a notable strength.
Interestingly, longer breastfeeding was more common among mothers with lower EDII scores, consistent with breastfeeding’s well-documented role in promoting immune tolerance and healthy microbial colonization. Apart from providing early passive immunity wave maternal antibodies, breast milk provides bioactive molecules such as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which selectively feed beneficial microbes (e.g. Bifidobacterium spp.) and promote the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate by the gut microbiota —key modulators of regulatory T cell development and mucosal immunity.
“However, the study lacks direct biological validation of the immune or microbiota-mediated mechanisms it hypothesises. The Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (EDII) was based on correlations with C-reactive protein (CRP), a non-specific acute-phase protein that offers limited insight into adaptive immune function or cytokine signalling pathways central to autoimmunity.
No maternal or fetal immune phenotyping, cytokine profiling, or microbiota/metabolome data were included, missing the opportunity to explore key mediators such as SCFAs, bile acids, tryptophan metabolites, and gut microbiota population types. In addition, maternal or early-life infections—known risk factors for pancreatic islet autoimmunity—were not assessed, despite their relevance in immune priming.
“Future studies should integrate immunophenotyping, longitudinal microbiome and metabolomics analyses, and infection exposure history to map the interplay between maternal diet, immune maturation, and T1D risk. Such multi-omic approaches, including the postnatal environment shaped by breastfeeding and early feeding practices, are essential to fully understand the developmental origins of immune-mediated diseases.”
‘Association between a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern during pregnancy and type 1 diabetes risk in offspring: prospective cohort study’ by Rohina Noorzae et al. was published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health at 23:30 UK time on Tuesday 1 July 2025.
DOI: 10.1136/jech-2024-223320
Declared interests
Dr John MacSharry: “I can declare I have no financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence my opinion of this work.”
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
This study suggests that healthier eating patterns may extend lifespan in middle-aged women.
The Mediterranean diet was associated with a 36% lower risk of dying from anything.
Add more fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats to your diet.
You’ve probably heard people say something about how the days may seem long, but the years fly by. And the older we get, the more we realize how true that old saying is—which is why finding ways to extend our lifespan is something many of us search for. Thankfully, so do scientists.
Researchers from Australia gathered information on the diets of nearly 9,600 Australian women in their early 50s and then followed them for about 17 years. They were looking for associations between diet and longevity, heart disease and dementia. They recently published their findings in The Journal of Nutrition. Let’s break down what they found.
How Was This Study Conducted?
Researchers drew data from a previous study called the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH), which included four cohorts of women born at different periods: between 1921 and 1926, 1946 and 1951, 1973 and 1978, and 1989 and 1995. For this current study, they used the 1946-1951 cohort, whose baseline data were collected in 2001. The average age of the women in this cohort was 52 at baseline.
Diet information was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, asking participants how much and how often they ate 120 different foods. The data from the food frequency questionnaires was then plugged into surveys specifically for certain eating patterns, including the Australian Recommended Food Score (an overall healthy eating pattern, according to the Australian dietary guidelines) and the Mediterranean diet. Participants then received scores for each eating pattern and were placed into one of four groups for each pattern based on their scores.
In addition to diet, participants also self-reported demographics, including age, sex, socioeconomic status, alcohol intake, smoking status, BMI, physical activity, menopause status and diabetes or hypertension diagnoses.
Participants were followed for about 17 years, during which time researchers also gathered information on death, heart disease and dementia diagnoses.
What Did This Study Find?
For the Australian Recommended Food Score, those ranking in the highest group (Q4) had a 40% lower risk of death compared to those in the lowest group (Q1). And when it came to Mediterranean diet scores, participants in the highest group (Q4) had a 36% lower risk of death compared to those in the lowest group (Q1).
Interestingly, unlike previous studies, this study found no correlation between either of these eating patterns and heart disease or dementia. Researchers provided a few possible explanations why. First, heart disease in women tends to come later in life. So it’s plausible that had they been followed longer, associations may have shown up. They offered a similar theory regarding dementia.
There are several limitations of this study. First, diet and other data were self-reported, which leaves room for bias and inaccurate reporting. Case in point: Researchers note that many of the women reported averaging around 1,500 calories per day based on the food frequency questionnaires, which is on the low end of typical calorie intake. They feel this may be evidence of under-reporting food intake.
Plus, the data was all gathered at baseline, which doesn’t account for changes in diet and other demographics, like physical activity and smoking status, over the 17 years of follow-up. Lastly, because only women were used in this trial, it is unknown if these results apply to men.
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
While this study didn’t show correlations between the Mediterranean diet and a reduced risk of heart disease or dementia, many other studies have. For example, one recent study found that people who followed the MIND diet, which is a variation of the Mediterranean diet, reduced their risk of dementia by as much as 25%. Following a Mediterranean diet style of eating may even prevent brain shrinkage and reduce brain aging by 50% (and a bigger brain means better cognitive abilities).
The Mediterranean diet has also been associated with a healthier heart and reduced risk of diabetes. This can be attributed to the fiber and antioxidants in plants commonly eaten in the Mediterranean diet—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds—plus seafood and unsaturated oils, like olive and avocado oils.
These are just a few of the reasons the Mediterranean diet consistently ranks as the healthiest overall diet out of all the diets out there. This study adds to the evidence that following this style of eating also increases longevity.
But let’s face it. A longer life doesn’t necessarily mean a good quality of life with good health, also known as healthspan. But the Mediterranean diet has got you covered there, too. Because it’s associated with a reduced risk of so many diseases, it increases lifespan and improves healthspan. Win-win!
If you’re ready to go all-in on the Mediterranean diet, we’ve got plenty of meal plans to choose from. A good one to start with is our 7-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for Beginners, or if you want more, test out our 30-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for Beginners.
If you’re more of a slow and steady kind of person, adding more fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains into your meals and snacks is a great way to start. You could also swap one of your meat meals each week with seafood, or instead of slathering butter on your bread, try dipping it into olive oil.
Other lifestyle habits have also been linked to greater longevity, including participating in regular physical activity, getting enough quality sleep, dealing with what’s stressing you out and spending time with loved ones.
Our Expert Take
This study suggests that following a healthy eating pattern like the Mediterranean diet may add years to your life. While evidence is stacked in favor of this eating style also reducing the risk of heart disease and dementia, this study did not find that association. However, researchers provide possible reasons for the lack of correlation.
If you want to start adding more Mediterranean diet foods into your life, focusing on snacks can be an easy way to do so. Need some ideas? Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts provides protein, fiber and healthy fats for a filling, satisfying snack. If you’re hankering for chocolate, go for the dark variety, along with a handful of nuts or pumpkin or hemp seeds. Or how about veggie sticks and hummus, or some cheese and fruit? By consistently swapping your typical snacks for nourishing, nutrient-rich ones, you’ll soon build a habit of incorporating more foods common in the Mediterranean diet. And these small changes will lead to big benefits over time.
Some chemotherapy drugs cause more damage to healthy cells than other chemo options do, a new study finds.
The researchers have found four new mutational signatures — patterns of DNA damage left by certain classes of drug — linked to chemotherapy. They also pinpointed some medications that can even “artificially age” healthy blood cells via these mutations.
The findings, published Tuesday (July 1) in the journal Nature Genetics, could help doctors select cancer treatments that cause minimal knock-on damage to patients’ bodies while still attacking their cancer, the scientists say.
Some cancer chemotherapy medications destroy rapidly dividing cells by damaging their DNA, triggering cell death. While cancer cells fit that description, there are also healthy cells that divide quickly, such as those found in bone marrow and blood. This new study aimed to find out how chemo impacts those healthy cells and to do so in unprecedented detail.
The research team compared the blood of 23 people, ages 3 to 80, who were previously treated with chemotherapy with the blood of nine subjects without histories of cancer or chemo. Collectively, the people in the chemo group had received 21 different therapies, including platinum and alkylating agents, which kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA.
The team isolated blood stem cells and mature blood cells from the groups. They extracted DNA from the cells and put them through whole-genome sequencing. Using mathematical models, they pinpointed a number of mutational signatures in each cell’s DNA, four of which had never before been reported to the COSMIC database of mutational signatures and are heavily suspected to be caused by chemo.
Related: Some early-onset cancers are on the rise. Why?
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Although some of the signatures were present in samples from both the cancer-free and chemo-treated groups, 11 appeared only in the chemo group. That included the four new signatures.
But interestingly, not all medications within the chemo group caused the same degree of mutational burden. For example, the team found that cyclophosphamide, which is used to treat cancers such as multiple myeloma and breast cancer, causes far fewer mutations than others in its class.
More mutations mean a higher risk of getting another kind of cancer after treatment, called a secondary tumor. “The risk of secondary malignancy with cyclophosphamide is known to be lower” than with other drugs of its class, first study author Dr. Emily Mitchell, a hematologist and researcher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and a clinician at Cambridge University Hospital, told Live Science in an email. That said, the risk is not zero.
Cancer is caused by mutations that lead to uncontrolled cell growth. But genetic mutations, in general, are also linked to aging.
“Each cell in our body accumulates mutations over time in a constant fashion,” said Dr. Francesco Maura, a hematologist and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City who was not involved in the study. When chemo introduces mutations to blood cells, particularly blood stem cells, he said, “it doesn’t necessarily mean the stem cell is aged; you just have more mutations.” These chemo-induced mutations carry the same risk as age-related mutations, though — that is, their accumulation raises the risk of cancer.
Among the study participants, there was a 3-year-old who had chemo that carried 10 times the number of mutations in his blood than healthy, untreated kids his age. The toddler’s blood cells looked older than those of an 80-year-old study participant who had never had chemo. But while mutation buildup makes cells look older, it doesn’t always lead to tumor growth — just as not everyone who ages gets cancer.
The study had limitations, such as its small sample size. The researchers conceded that studying blood in test tubes could have skewed the results, because it doesn’t fully recreate the human body’s environment. Mitchell said her group would like to run similar experiments with a larger cohort and with circulating blood, but there are no plans to do so immediately.
Mitchell pointed to her and her colleagues’ work published in 2024 in the journal The Lancet Oncology as an example of where this sort of research could go. They’d demonstrated that an alternative chemo combination for Hodgkin lymphoma worked just as well as the standard option while causing fewer knock-on mutations.
Hodgkin lymphoma has a high cure rate of more than 80%, but for other types of cancers with lower cure rates, applying this approach may be more challenging. Additionally, secondary tumors take years to develop, so people need to survive for some time following their initial treatment to encounter them. Optimizing their initial chemo drugs to minimize mutations wouldn’t be helpful if the survival rates for their cancer aren’t high.
In Maura’s words, “first, you have to cure [that type of] cancer. Then you work toward reducing the toxicity of the treatment.”
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
Routine cervical screening should be offered to women aged 65 and over as they are still at heightened risk of cancer from human papillomavirus (HPV), according to research.
Despite it being a preventable disease, there were about 660,000 cases of cervical cancer and 350,000 deaths from it worldwide in 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
HPV is responsible for about 95% of cervical cancer, which occurs when abnormal cells develop in the lining of the cervix and grow, eventually forming a tumour.
WHO’s global strategy on cervical cancer states that by 2030, all countries should vaccinate 90% of girls with the HPV vaccine by 15, screen 70% of women and treat 90% of those with cervical disease. Modelling suggests this would prevent 62m deaths and a cumulative 74m new cases of cervical cancer by 2120.
Screening programmes vary from country to country, but most guidelines recommend stopping cervical screening after the age of 65 if previous test results have been normal.
Yet global cases of cervical cancer among people over 65 have been rising: in 2022, worldwide there were 157,182 new cases and 124,269 deaths from the disease among women aged 65 or older.
In the UK, while screening and vaccination rates are higher than many other countries, they have been falling in recent years. Cervical cancer leads to approximately 685 deaths a year in England alone.
Now a large-scale observational study published in Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Medicine has found that older women are more likely to have HPV infections and to have abnormal cells in test results than younger women.
Researchers in China analysed cervical cancer screening data for more than 2 million women between 2017 and 2023. Of the 2 million, 17,420 were aged 65 and above; the remainder were younger.
The study found greater prevalence of high-risk HPV infections and abnormal cells among women aged 65 and over than in younger women. Nearly 14% of those 65 and over tested positive for high-risk HPV infection types, compared with 8% of those who were younger.
Older women were also more likely to be infected with several different types of HPV and have abnormalities picked up on screening.
While acknowledging limitations to the study, the findings indicate that “women [aged 65 and above] are a high-risk group for cervical cancer incidence and mortality, necessitating urgent attention from countries worldwide”, the authors conclude.
“Most guidelines suggest stopping screening for those with adequate primary screening and no high-risk factors, particularly for women under 65,” they say. “However, the situation differs for those over 65, who may not have been vaccinated or thoroughly screened. With increasing life expectancy, the risk of cervical cancer in this demographic is significantly heightened.”
Responding to the findings, Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of the Eve Appeal cancer charity, said among people over 65, “there is a largely unvaccinated population who, if under-screened or if they have never attended screening, may well still be at high risk of cervical cancer”.
“We would look to the National Screening Committee to examine the findings and see if there would be benefits in reviewing screening age.”
Maxine Lenza, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Recent improvements to the test in the UK means it’s an extremely effective way of preventing cervical cancer and saving lives, so those over the age of 65 and up to date with their cervical screening will have a very low risk of developing the disease. However, women over 65 who have never had cervical screening can request a test with their GP practice.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS cervical screening programme in England follows expert recommendations on age and frequency of screening by the UK National Screening Committee, which are based on regular reviews of the best evidence globally.
“Women with an HPV-positive screening result at the age of 65 are invited for additional screening to monitor their ongoing risk and we would encourage all women to attend appointments when invited to ensure they have the best protection against cervical cancer.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The screening age brackets are based on robust scientific evidence and an expert recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee, however any women who are worried about their symptoms can speak to their GP who will decide the best course of action.
“It is vital that we increase the number of women accepting their invitation for cervical cancer screening within the existing age bracket. As part of our 10-year health plan, those who are eligible will be offered convenient human papillomavirus self-sampling kits – breaking down barriers to healthcare as we shift from treatment to prevention.”
(Paris, France, Wednesday, 2 July 2025) New research presented today at the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) reveals the presence of microplastics in human reproductive fluids, raising important questions about their potential risks to fertility and reproductive health.[1]
Researchers examined follicular fluid from 29 women and seminal fluid from 22 men, both of which play critical roles in natural conception and assisted reproduction.
A range of commonly used microplastic polymers, including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP) and polyurethane (PU), were identified in both groups.
Microplastics were present in 69% of the follicular fluid samples analysed. Notably, the most frequently detected polymer was PTFE, found in 31% of the samples. This was followed by PP (28%), PET (17%), PA (14%), polyethylene (PE) (10%), PU (10%) and PS (7%), in descending order of prevalence.
In male seminal fluid samples, microplastics were found in 55% of those analysed. PTFE again emerged as the most prevalent polymer, identified in 41% of the samples. Other polymers detected included PS (14%), PET (9%), PA (5%), and PU (5%), though in lower concentrations.
To prevent contamination, all samples were collected and stored in glass containers and underwent chemical treatment before analysis using laser direct infrared microscopy.
Lead researcher Dr. Emilio Gomez-Sanchez commented, “Previous studies had already shown that microplastics can be found in various human organs. As a result, we weren´t entirely surprised to find microplastics in fluids of the human reproductive system, but we were struck by how common they were – found in 69% of the women and 55% of the men we studied.”
Microplastics are defined as plastic particles under 5mm in size, and there is evidence that they pose a threat to environmental and public health.[2] While this research did not directly assess how microplastics affect fertility, their detection highlights the need to explore possible implications for human reproductive health.
“What we know from animal studies is that in the tissues where microplastics accumulate, they can induce inflammation, free radical formation, DNA damage, cellular senescence, and endocrine disruptions”, continued Dr. Gomez-Sanchez. “It’s possible they could impair egg or sperm quality in humans, but we don’t yet have enough evidence to confirm that.”
The research team plans to expand their analysis to a larger cohort, alongside detailed lifestyle and environmental exposure questionnaires. Further phases of the project will also explore the potential relationship between the presence of microplastics and oocyte and sperm quality.
Dr. Gomez-Sanchez stressed that fertility is influenced by many factors, including age, health, and genetics, and that the findings should not cause alarm among those trying to conceive. “There’s no need for alarm at this point. Microplastics are just one of many elements that may play a role in fertility. However, it is sensible to consider ways of reducing our exposure to them. Simple steps, such as using glass containers to store and heat food, or limiting the amount of water we consume from plastic bottles, can help minimise our intake.”
Professor Dr. Carlos Calhaz-Jorge, Immediate Past Chair of ESHRE, commented, “Environmental factors influencing reproduction are certainly a reality, although not easy to measure objectively. The authors of this study found microplastics in over two-thirds of follicular fluids and more than 50% of semen fluids from the studied patients. Although the significance of these findings is not yet clear, they should be considered an additional argument in favour of avoiding the generalised use of plastics in our daily lives.”
The study abstract will be published today in Human Reproduction, one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals.
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
An unpublished conference abstract presented at the ESHRE 41st Annual Meeting in Paris looks at microplastics in human reproductive fluids.
Prof Oliver Jones, Professor of Chemistry, RMIT University, said:
“It is hard to say much at all about this study without knowing the full details of the methods used and the precautions taken against background contamination. All we have to go on is a very brief abstract, not a peer-reviewed paper. Many previous scary-sounding headlines on microplastics in blood and food have turned out to be measurement errors by people unfamiliar with the problems of microplastic measurements1,2 and/or background contamination3. I don’t think lab contamination can be ruled out in this case. The most common plastic found, PTFE, is very widely used in laboratories, including IVF labs, and background contamination makes all forms of microplastic analysis extremely technically challenging.
“Even if we assume no measurement errors, the results are from a total of 51 individuals, so they are far from conclusive (a limitation acknowledged by the authors), and this study does not claim to demonstrate any harm. We would need these findings to be replicated, ideally in other laboratories around the world, before we could tell if this was a one-off event or not. So, while the data are certainly interesting, they are at best preliminary. I don’t think people who may be trying to conceive, either naturally or via IVF, need to be concerned.”
References 1 Kuhlman, R. L., Letter to the editor, discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environment International 2022, 167, 107400, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022003270?via%3Dihub
2 Mühlschlegel, P. et al. Lack of evidence for microplastic contamination in honey. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A 2017, 34 (11), 1982-1989, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28665769/
3 Rauert C. et al. Blueprint for the design construction and validation of a plastic and phthalate-minimised laboratory. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2024 468 133803, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389424003820
Dr Channa Jayasena, Associate Professor in Reproductive Endocrinology, Imperial College London, said:
“Microplastics are able to interfere with how cells in different bits of the body speak to each other, and can cause cell damage. Unfortunately, it is no longer a surprise that microplastics find their way into the fluids which are essential for men and women to reproduce. This study was very small, and did not report fertility outcomes in the study participants. But it was well-designed study using state-of-the-art technology to show just how commonly microplastics enter reproductive fluids. They showed that most of the studied samples in men and women contained microplastics. Some previous studies have reported that microplastic exposure is associated with lower-than-normal fertility in men. The results contribute to a growing concern for public health – we don’t know what the impact of all types of microplastics are on reproductive function in men and women. Understanding this will help us understand how big a problem microplastics post for fertility in society.”
Dr Stephanie Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Toxicology, Imperial College London, said:
“Without information on the sizes of the microplastic particles observed, it is challenging to interpret how meaningful this data is. There is a high potential for samples to become contaminated with microplastic throughout the sampling, laboratory processing, and analysis procedures. If stringent steps to minimise this are taken, other clues such as the size of the particles observed can be used to rule out such contamination, with there being a greater likelihood for smaller particles (<0.001 mm > 0.01 mm) being absorbed and redistributed around the body. It is not a surprise that microplastics have been found – they are everywhere, even in the lab – but the data provided do not support that they are there as a result of human exposure as opposed to methodological artefact and must be interpreted with caution at this early stage.”
Prof Fay Couceiro, Professor of Environmental Pollution, and Head of the Microplastics Research Group, University of Portsmouth, said:
“As this is not peer reviewed and there is no detailed methodology it is difficult to give specific information on quality etc. Here are some general comments:
“The study is very interesting and considering the global reduction in fertility rates, looking at possible causes is very topical and timely. As the authors state, finding microplastics is not that surprising as we have found them in lots of other areas of our bodies. Presence is also not the same as impact and the authors are clear that while they have found microplastics in the reproductive fluids of both men and women, we still don’t know how they are affecting us. As a preliminary study the work is interesting, but more information is required on numbers of microplastics found, sizes, method blanks and any plastics used during the medical procedures before any real conclusions can be made. I look forward to reading the full article once it is ready. (A method blank is when you run the experimental steps, but with clean water, and then analyse that to see if you have any microplastics in it. This would let you know if there is any external contamination, and if the microplastics in the samples are from the reproductive fluid, or introduced from the digestion and analysis steps. It would be very unusual not to see any microplastics in the blanks if they are looking below 10 micrometres in size range. At that size, microplastics are in the air and very hard to get away from. If they only analysed larger particles then you tend to find less in your method blanks, but it is common practice to give these in a full paper so that people can see if the number you are finding in your samples is higher than in the blanks.)
Does the press release accurately reflect the science?
“To the extent of which data is available it does, it is clear this is only looking at the presence of microplastics and not impacts.
Is this good quality research? Are the conclusions backed up by solid data?
“Very hard to judge without more in depth information on methods, numbers found in blanks, size ranges of microplastics etc.
Is there enough data available to be able to judge the quality of this work?
“At this stage I would say no – as above the methods really need to be more detailed. Microplastics are everywhere and even with the best methods you find some in the blanks at the smaller sizes (less than 10 um). They say they looked in the containers but the method blank data is missing as are the actual numbers found, e.g. is it 10 microplastics per ml of SF? Is 10 significantly greater than what was found in the method blank? Size range is also very important and not mentioned anywhere I can see.
Is this a peer-reviewed journal publication or more preliminary?
“Preliminary.
How does this work fit with the existing evidence?
“It is expected as microplastics have been found in all bodily fluids/organs tested.
Have the authors accounted for confounders? Are there important limitations to be aware of?
“It is unclear if there is any plastic used in the collection of the samples as I am unfamiliar with the procedures – the storage vessel is glass but is plastic used in the follicular aspiration? Many medical instruments are made from plastic, is that the case here?
What are the implications in the real world? Is there any overspeculation?
“No – they are clear this is just a presence/absence experiment and that further work needs to take place to determine any impacts.”
Abstract title: ‘Unveiling the Hidden Danger: Detection and characterisation of microplastics in human follicular and seminal fluids’ by E. Gomez-Sanchez et al.It will be presented at the ESHRE 41st Annual Meeting in Paris, and the embargo lifted at 23:01 UK time on Tuesday 1 July 2025.
There is no paper.
Declared interests
Prof Oliver Jones: “I am a Professor of Chemistry at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. I conduct research into environmental pollution, including microplastics. I have no conflicts of interest to declare.”
Dr Channa Jayasena: “None.”
Dr Stephanie Wright: “Own research: MRC, NERC, NIHR, Common Seas, Minderoo Foundation, LECO;
To attend scientific meetings: American Chemistry Council – to attend a workshop on microplastic reference materials (2022); Minderoo Foundation – to attend workshops on microplastic measurement in human tissue (2024, 2025);
Current or previous advisory roles or committee membership: ILSI Europe, PlasticsEurope (BRIGID project), Cefic LRI projects advisory roles, have been a temporary member of UK Air Quality Expert Group;
Previous employment in companies: none.”
Prof Fay Couceiro: “I work in the field of microplastics but I was not involved in the study and I am not working with the authors. I am unaware of any conflict of interest.”
Japan’s lack of generic PrEP options has made therapies inaccessible to most patients.
Access to newer HIV therapies remains a major challenge in the global HIV treatment landscape, largely due to high costs and limited insurance coverage, according to GlobalData.
Whilst long-acting antiretroviral and prevention therapies such as ViiV Healthcare’s Apretude (cabotegravir) and Gilead Sciences’ Yeztugo (lenacapavir) offer improved adherence and reduced dosing frequency, their uptake remains constrained, said GlobalData’s latest report, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): Seven-Market (7M) Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2033.
In the US, coverage restrictions have slowed access to these products, despite their clinical advantages.
Similarly, in Japan, a lack of affordable generic PrEP options has made such therapies inaccessible to most patients.
GlobalData notes that insurance barriers are forcing patients to continue using older, less convenient therapies, even in high-income markets.
GlobalData warns that without broader insurance support and cost-reduction strategies, the benefits of newer therapies may not reach the populations most in need, threatening progress in HIV control and increasing the risk of drug resistance due to improper use.
