Dr Amir Khan has sparked debate after revealing a common lunchtime habit that can cause havoc with our health.
According to statistics by Moneypenny, just under half of (42 percent) of UK workers forgo the lunchtime restaurant rush and choose to bring a packed lunch to work instead.
Many of these are likely to transport their munch in microwave-safe containers.
However, Dr Amir Khan, 45, has warned that your daily dinner habit may not be as healthy for you as you first thought.
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Speaking on his podcast No Appointment Necessary, the NHS GP said that people should cease using plastic containers to both heat and store their food.
When asked why he wants people to end this common practice, the medical expert told his co-host, Cherry Healey: "When you store food in plastic containers, even just storing it in a plastic container, increases the risk of that food absorbing some of the microplastics within that container. If you then put it in the microwave, the heat really ramps up that risk.
"The plastic becomes a little bit more unstable. And it gives off these microplastics into your food, you eat the food."
He claimed that because he was aware of previous studies linking microplastic consumption with dementia and carotid artery disease, he no longer uses plastic boxes to hold his lunch.
According to previous research published in the Nature Medicine journal, scientists found that people with dementia had up to ten times as many microplastics compared to those without the condition.
“While the concentrations of microplastics appear higher in dementia specimens, we do not currently suggest that microplastics cause dementia,” said Marcus Garcia, toxicologist and PhRMA Foundation Fellow in the College of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico.
“It’s possible that the disease itself could influence microplastic accumulation, perhaps due to changes in brain metabolism, altered clearance mechanisms, or other disease-related factors,” he continued.
Meanwhile, a 2024 paper published in The New England Journal suggested that patients with carotid artery plaque containing microplastics and nanoplastics were at a higher risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death.
The caption beneath Kahn’s video read: "Heating up your lunch today? This is one of those things you wish you hadn't heard... Heating food in plastic doesn't just warm it - it can release microplastics into it.”
Fans of the ITV regular have been weighing in on the plastic container argument, with one writing: “I think Indian mums need to hear this! I tell mine all the time especially about storage. Even bought her glass containers - but no.”
“Such an incredibly helpful conversation!” replied someone else.
However, a third added: “Isn’t most of our food also covered or packaged in plastic. How can you navigate through all of this it’s exhausting.”
Another replied: “Not always practical is it - in my hospital you are lucky to find a knife and fork let alone a plate to decant your lunch onto.”
Instead of plastic, you can use tubs made of glass, stainless steel and paperboard boxes to carry your lunch to work. These are unlikely to contain microplastics, thus being safer to stick in the microwave.
Ella Scott