There’s no denying the UK is a nation of tea lovers with the UK Tea & Infusions Association (UKTIA) finding that Britons drink more than 100 million cups of tea every day.
In fact, the love for tea is so great in the UK that Britain sits at the number three spot for being the biggest tea drinking nation per capita, behind Turkey and the Republic of Ireland.
However, a new study from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona may deter you before sipping on another brew.
According to the scientists who carried out the research, a single tea bag could release dangerous microplastics into your body.
The study claimed that billions of these microplastics, which can have a number of negative health effects, are found in tea bags.
The researchers came to this conclusion after analysing different tea bags. The team found that the majority of these dangerous microplastics are being taken up by the mucus-producing intestinal cells. However, some can even enter the part of the cell that houses genetic material known as the cell nucleus.
The researchers said: “The potential health implications of environmental micro/nanoplastics (MNPLs) are increasingly concerning.
“Beyond environmental exposure, other sources such as food packaging, including herbal/tea bags, may also be significant.”
The study was published in Chemosphere and closely looked at the number of plastics ingested from tea bags, which has not been researched before.
The team further investigated the microplastics released from three popular tea bag types.
This included the first type of a nylon teabag ordered from Amazon, the second type of a polypropylene teabag ordered from AliExpress and the final type with an unknown filter polymer purchased from a supermarket.
The researchers found that for each teabag, huge amounts of nano-sized particles were released into the human body with the polypropylene teabags being the worst offenders.
Research is still ongoing when it comes to the adverse effects of microplastics in the human body but according to the United Nations Development Programme, microplastics are “linked to serious health issues such as endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health, and cancer.”
The National Institute for Health also further delved into the adverse effects of microplastics on humans and the environment.
The study noted: “Microplastics can also affect the human body by stimulating the release of endocrine disruptors.”
They added: “Endocrine disruptors, also referred to as hormonally active agents, can harm the human body by causing various cancers and reproductive-system disorders.”
