Plastic blenders are a source of microplastics that most people overlook. Those with plastic jars or pitchers release microplastics, and even nanoplastics, into blended food or drinks due to friction and mechanical abrasion during blending. A single 30-second blending cycle can release up to 1 billion (yes, with a... "b") micro- and nanoplastic particles. BPA-free products are safer but can still release particles due to heavy use, heat, or abrasion. My advice is to switch to a completely stainless-steel blender. It's the only way to avoid contamination. Thanks to Steven Bartlett for allowing me to audit his kitchen! Check out the full episode.show more

It sounds alarming until you realize this is what happens when you start trying to control every invisible risk around you. The stress of tracking every particle can do more to your system than the thing itself

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. The one place I was trying to be blissfully ignorant in.

maybe start by eating less shit in general and moving more instead of trying to sell me a $400 stainless steel blender

Switched to a glass blender 6 months ago after seeing the research on this. Plastic containers, blenders, water bottles, it all adds up. Microplastics are one of the most overlooked endocrine disruptors tanking men's testosterone and most guys have no idea their morning smoothie is part of the problem.

I spent 6 months looking for plastic free blender and finally found Oster brand blenders are made of glass that doesn’t have PLASTIC base or motor. Unlike other blenders, the Oster blenders have simple metalic base and blade You can get good Oster blender for $45 from Target

Pricey, it's on my shopping list.

.@Vitamix should make a glass version. my parents used to have a glass blender back in the 90s

Makes sense. How about glass?

@fmfclips Rhonda, next time you're in town would you please just come over to my house and SH00T ME IN THE FACE. I hear merciful death raises sulforaphane levels.

not only th blenders!! plastic clothes can release hundreds of thousands of particles of micro plastics as well!!!

glass everything tbh

The stainless steel switch is a reasonable precaution. And the broader conversation about microplastic exposure from daily-use products is one that’s going to get much louder over the next few years as the analytical methods catch up to the question. Here’s the honest state of the science from the lab side. We can detect microplastics. The analytical techniques exist. Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, pyrolysis-GC/MS, and flow cytometry-based methods can identify and quantify plastic particles down to the nanoscale. The detection is not the problem. The problem is that we don’t yet have the dose-response data in humans to draw a clear line between exposure levels and specific health outcomes. We know microplastics have been found in human blood, placental tissue, lung tissue, liver, and stool samples. The particles are there. That’s confirmed. What we don’t have yet is the longitudinal data showing what a given concentration of particles does to human biology over 10, 20, 30 years of accumulation. The animal data suggests inflammatory responses, endocrine disruption, and oxidative stress at high exposure levels. Whether the levels humans are actually accumulating produce the same effects is the unanswered question. A billion particles from a single blending cycle is a striking number. It’s also a number without a known clinical threshold to compare it against. Is a billion particles harmful? Probably not ideal. Is it the exposure level that produces measurable disease? We don’t know yet. The honest answer is somewhere between “this is fine” and “this is causing widespread harm” and the data hasn’t narrowed that window enough for anyone to give a definitive answer. What I’d say to anyone reading this. The precautionary principle makes sense here. Switch to stainless steel or glass where you can. Reduce unnecessary plastic contact with food, especially when heat or mechanical abrasion is involved. These are low-cost, low-effort changes that reduce an exposure we know exists even if we haven’t fully quantified the harm. And watch this space. The detection science is advancing fast. When we can reliably measure microplastic burden in a blood sample the way we measure lead or mercury today, the conversation will shift from “should I worry” to “here’s your number, here’s what it means.” That day is coming. The lab is working on it. Don’t wait for the diagnosis. Read the label.

The microplastic comes from the plastic bushings not the plastic receptacle! Thanks makes no sense otherwise. Good call though!

They just released some new data which shows a common fruit in Africa and Asia (tamarind) contains compounds which cause microplastics to clump up together and allows the body to more easily expel them. It's emerging research but keep an eye out. Might be worth it as a supplement some day.

Classic in fitness and health industry. Find a new thing to attack, and then use dumbest example to prove a wrong point. “There is no definitive causal proof from large-scale, controlled human studies (like randomized trials) showing that typical microplastic/nanoplastic (MNP) exposure directly causes harm. That's a fair point—science rarely "proves" causation for environmental exposures this way, especially since we can't ethically dose people with plastics. Regulatory bodies like the FDA and WHO have stated that current levels detected in foods do not demonstrate a clear risk to human health based on available.”

Micro and nano plastics from household appliances like this are in abundance. Opting for glass or stainless steel wherever possible is one way to try to prevent this toxin from building up

Rhonda.... Plastic blender, no! Inject yourself with experimental for profit mRNA with manufacturer immunity, yes!

But do you know what’s in the stainless steel - very possible it contains trace heavy metals which will be release md when exposed to acid containing juices…

this gets overlooked so much. same issue with plastic protein powder containers and shaker bottles, daily friction from scooping adds up. glass storage and cellulose or gelatin capsule formats are worth thinking about if you're doing this stuff every single day

My pitcher is glass, coffee maker stainless steel, & drinking receptacles glass. It all matters and it all adds up over time Make small changes over time Many men have low testosterone & they will tell you they live clean..............they are not even close yet

wife keeps complaining about our 20y old glass because it’s heavy.. it stays

I’ve curated the best products for a plastic free kitchen:

@foundmyfitness what blenders do you recommend? Vitamix has two blenders that come with Stainless pitchers (with plastic tops). This a $750+ purchase minimum. Unfortunately, @NinjaKitchen doesn't have stainless steel pitchers - which is what I have. Any alternatives to consider?

At this point, why does anyone care about micro plastic micro plastics have been in our bodies for generations at this point right now we’re barely affording to eat and pay our bills in America most of our food that we can afford is in plastic

I used to chew on plastic toys, bottles, pens as a kid. Also probably ate some receipts, ... are my tissues saturated? Am I immune? 😆

Are these bad for you?

Oi @Vitamix could you do a swap of plastic units for stainless? Happy to pay

The problem is that your eating kale smoothies full of oxalates and heavy metals.

Now if only we all stopped doing our morning yoga on plastic (polyester) rugs and breathing in plastic dust. Geez. So much plastic. This purge will take forever.

Loved your Diary of a CEO episode with Steven Bartlett! Your advice on creatine for cognitive health (especially under sleep deprivation) is gold, and this microplastics blender warning is eye-opening. Switching to stainless steel ASAP. Thank you! 🔥 @foundmyfitness

Need a business to make a stainless steel nutribullet style blender for less than $200

They used to be made Of glass correct?

Glass blender good too I assume?

yeah cuz i’d rather have micro steel in my nuts