Your Brain Is 0.5% Plastic (Here’s How to Flush It) : 1426

The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

Dave Asprey

Nutrition, Wellness, Lifestyle, Brain, Biohacking, Education, Fitness, Fasting, Science, Meditation, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Hacking, Diet, Fat

4.6 • 7.4K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Microplastics are invading your brain, blood, hormones, and fat tissue, and most people have no idea how deep the damage goes. In this episode, Host Dave Asprey and microplastics expert Josephine Musco break down exactly what these particles are doing inside your body and give you a practical, science-backed action plan to detox, protect yourself, and take back control of your biology.

-Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR

-Get a discount on Olyxir Tea by going to https://www.olyxir.com/ and using code ‘Dave10’ at checkout

Josephine Musco is a multidisciplinary entrepreneur, Demeter-certified biodynamic farmer, and winemaker at Chateau Bellevue 1881 in Livermore, California. She is the founder of Olyxir Tea Strips and holds two scientific patents rooted in her deep expertise in botanical medicine and regenerative health. She is best known for translating complex research on aging, nutrition, environmental toxins, and functional medicine into practical daily habits, and for her work exposing microplastics and PFAs as one of the most underestimated drivers of accelerated biological aging.

Dave Asprey and Josephine cover the full picture: how nanoplastics cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in postmortem brain tissue, how endocrine disruption from plastics tanks testosterone and drives fat storage, and why your teabag, canned soup, and yoga pants may be among your biggest sources of daily exposure. They also go deep on real solutions, from lymphatic drainage protocols and infrared sauna to supplements like chlorella, lactobacillus, and olive leaf polyphenols that actively help the body clear microplastics and support longevity and brain optimization.

This is essential listening for anyone serious about biohacking, anti-aging, metabolism, brain optimization, supplements, human performance, and smarter not harder approaches to living clean in a toxic world. If you drink tea, cook with plastic utensils, or wear synthetic workout clothes, this episode will change how you make decisions every single day.

You'll Learn:

Why 0.5 percent of postmortem brain tissue is now made of microplastics and what that means for neuroplasticity and cognitive decline
How microplastics mimic estrogen, disrupt metabolism, and make it nearly impossible to lose fat
The link between microplastic plaque in carotid arteries and a 4.5x increased risk of cardiac events
Which everyday sources, including teabags, canned soup, cookware, and plastic cutting boards, are silently loading your body with nanoplastics
How lactobacillus reduced microplastics in the blood by 82 percent in studies, and which other supplements support detox
Why Dave Asprey drinks Danger Coffee from a metal container and what his full microplastic reduction protocol looks like
How olive leaf polyphenols, with 26,215 micrograms per gram, act as powerful free radical scavengers to support brain optimization and anti-aging
The morning lymphatic activation routine that combines rebounding, herbal strips, and whole body vibration for deep cellular detox
Why AI and citizen science are accelerating our understanding of microplastic damage faster than traditional medicine

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.

New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient.

Keywords: microplastics, nanoplastics, teabags, detoxification, BPA, endocrine disruptors, brain health, fertility, reproductive health, Josephine Musco, Elixir Tea Strips, sauna detox, infrared sauna, lymphatic system, probiotics, polyphenols, olive leaf, toxins, heavy metals, pesticides, plastic contamination, water bottles, non-stick cookware, synthetic fabrics, inflammation, Alzheimer's, dementia, cognitive decline, testosterone, preconception health, pregnancy, longevity, anti-aging, biohacking, functional medicine, Dave Asprey, environmental toxins, detox protocols, gut health, acacia gum, chlorella, spirulina, whole-body vibration, rebounding

Resources:

• Get a discount on Olyxir Tea by going to https://www.olyxir.com/ and using code ‘Dave10’ at checkout

• Get My 2026 Clean Nicotine Roadmap | Enroll for free at https://daveasprey.com/2026-clean-nicotine-roadmap/

• Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today.

• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15

• My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off)

• Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off)

• Dave Asprey’s BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com

• Dave Asprey’s New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated

• Join My Substack (Live Access To Podcast Recordings): https://substack.daveasprey.com/

• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

03:00 – Microplastics in the Brain

08:40 – Olyxir Tea Strip Solution

10:10 – Health Impacts & Weight Gain

11:05 – Environmental Solutions

14:29 – The Teabag Problem

18:57 – How to Remove Microplastics

22:04 – Olive Leaf Benefits

28:26 – Josephine's Scientific Background

33:00 – Guarana & Lymphatic Support

34:22 – Skincare & Microplastics

36:38 – Sauna Protocol

44:19 – Household Exposure Sources

47:18 – Workout Clothing Risk

48:59 – Leather vs Synthetic Fashion

50:54 – Pregnancy & Fertility

54:20 – Closing & Discount Code

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Every single time you see a tea bag, which releases up to 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics in your cup. They were even found in the brain, in post-mortem brain, a tissue. They are making, you know, 0.5% of the brain tissue is made from microplastics. Like, half a percent of your brain could be made out of microplastics right now? It's not just you have a microplastic, you have a microplastic embedded with all sorts of pesticides and things and then just causes inflammation, right? It's causing Alzheimer's, dementia, all kinds of mental, cognitive decline. It's really affecting testosterone level, which, you know, as we know, affects everybody, men, women, children, adults, young adults. Do you think microplastics make people fat? They absolutely do. Dr. Basilis have shown the decrease microplastics in blood by 82%. I am guessing that they will help break down the microplastics and help the body get rid of it. You don't need to stress about it. You just want to take action to move yourself in the right direction and at the same time becomes stronger, more vibrant, better at detoxing.
0:58.3	You're listening to the Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey.
1:06.0	Poor recovery speeds up aging. When you don't recover from stress properly, your cells get weaker and
1:12.1	accumulate damage. HeartMath changes that. The Interbalance Coherence Plus trains your body to
1:18.0	recover at the source, your nervous system. The setup is pretty simple. You connect a sensor to your
1:23.9	ear that pairs to the HeartMath app, which guides you through an HRV exercise.
1:29.3	In five minutes a day, your body shifts out of stress mode and into coherence, the state where recovery, focus, and peak performance happen.
1:38.3	Most devices only track recovery. HeartMath trains it.
1:41.3	It works by targeting heart rate variability or HRV, your body's most
1:47.1	reliable marker of resilience. Higher HRV means faster recovery, deeper sleep, and stronger
1:53.0	performance. Decades of science prove that heart math works. Over 400 studies show measurable results
1:59.7	in as little as six weeks.
2:01.7	That means less anxiety, better sleep, more energy, and sharper focus.
2:06.1	That's why elite athletes, hospitals, and the U.S. military all use the Interbalance Coherence Plus.
2:12.2	This is one of the things I think everyone should be doing.
2:15.2	Don't just track recovery. Train it.
2:17.4	To get 15% off, go to
2:19.1	heartmath.com slash Dave. Modern life keeps your nervous system in overdrive. Most solutions try to
2:29.7	change your brain chemistry, but your body also runs on electrical signals and rhythms.
2:35.1	Your brain uses electrical waves, your heart beats in patterns, and your nervous system sends
2:40.6	signals through tiny pulses.
2:43.2	Light and sound are also forms of energy your body can sense.
	...

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