The Modern Problem

Studies now confirm that microplastics are found in human stool, blood, placenta, and even lung tissue. Most exposure begins in the gut, where plastic particles can adhere to the mucosal surface and alter the microbial balance.

Because the body cannot easily degrade these materials, the digestive tract becomes the first and most critical site for action.

The Health Impact: A Multi-System Threat
Microplastics don't stay in the gut. They cross biological barriers and accumulate in vital organs:

  • Cardiovascular: People who experienced strokes showed significantly higher plastic plaque in carotid arteries – roughly a 4.5x higher incidence of heart attack, stroke, or death.
  • Neurological: Microplastics accumulate in brain tissue. Autopsy studies found 5x higher concentrations in dementia brain samples, with deposits in cerebrovascular walls triggering neuroinflammation.
  • Reproductive: Microplastics have been detected in placental tissue, with evidence of endocrine disruption affecting fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
  • Gastrointestinal: Microplastics had 50% higher concentrations in stool from people with IBD. Microplastics damage the gut barrier, trapping more particles and amplifying inflammation – a vicious cycle.
  • Metabolic & Systemic: Microplastics trigger oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and gut microbiota disruption – cascading effects that impair detoxification and fuel metabolic disease.

The gut barrier, once compromised, becomes a gateway for microplastics and inflammatory compounds to enter circulation. Addressing this site first is critical.

Our Approach: The Binder-Barrier Method

Sifts was designed to address modern environmental exposure through a simple daily system that works with your body.

1. Bind – Positively charged particles interact electrostatically with microplastic particles, supporting their excretion through natural digestion.

2. Buffer – Apple pectin and baobab fruit extract form a gentle fiber matrix that slows transit and encourages complete clearance.

3. Protect – Slippery elm and magnesium glycinate help maintain mucosal integrity, calm the gut lining, and support healthy microbial balance.

Together, these natural compounds form Sifts’ Binder-Barrier Method – a first-of-its-kind approach to supporting gut resilience in the face of modern environmental exposures.

The Research Behind Sifts

Chitosan: Clinically Studied Digestive Binder

In a 2026 pilot-controlled human study, daily chitosan supplementation was associated with lower measured circulating microplastic levels in blood. 11 healthy adults took chitosan for 15 days, while 10 matched controls received placebo. Researchers measured microplastics in blood using stereomicroscopy, SEM, and µFTIR. After 15 days, mean blood microplastic concentration in the chitosan group decreased 26.3% (from 1.84 ± 0.28 µg/mL to 1.34 ± 0.20 µg/mL), while the placebo group showed no significant change (PMID: 42201087).

In a 2025 human crossover study (PMID: 40646942), a single 0.8 g dose of chitosan taken before a standardized meal increased microplastic particle excretion in stool the following morning by ~47%(from 656 ± 110 to 965 ± 165 particles per 5 g of stool).

Further, in a recent animal study (PMID: 40268980), dietary chitosan significantly increased fecal elimination of ingested polyethylene microplastics over a short time period, reducing the microplastic burden in the gut.

Sifts uses medium-molecular-weight, shellfish-derived chitosan with ≥ 89% degree of deacetylation – optimized for binding capacity and digestive tolerability.

Apple Pectin: Fiber and Flow

Pectin exhibits gel-forming and water-binding properties that support its function as a dietary fiber that increase intestinal viscosity (J Food Sci, DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.17438). Pectin is also fermented by the gut microbiota in ways that support beneficial bacterial populations (PMID: 36079886), together creating gut conditions that may favor the transit of non-absorbed particles.

Baobab: Antioxidant Defense

Baobab fruit pulp, rich in polyphenols (PMID: 36080328), contributes antioxidant protection that may counter oxidative stress caused by environmental plastics while supporting microbial diversity.

Slippery Elm: Gut Lining Shield

Traditional mucilaginous compounds like slippery elm form a gel-like coating that soothes the intestinal lining and may help limit particle adhesion (WHO Monograph, Ulmus rubra).

Magnesium Glycinate: Barrier Support

Glycine – the amino acid bound to magnesium in this form – supports tight-junction function and epithelial repair (PMID: 27029941, 34977370), reinforcing the gut’s natural defense against external stressors.

Safety, Quality, and Scientific Review

Sifts is formulated for daily use in healthy adults and built on rigorous scientific and quality standards. Each ingredient was selected for human compatibility, regulatory compliance, and long-term safety – and every claim is reviewed by leading researchers in microplastic and gut health to ensure alignment with current evidence and biological plausibility.

  • Manufactured in the United States in cGMP and FDA-audited facilities
  • Third-party tested for heavy metals and contaminants
  • Free of plasticizers, phthalates, and synthetic additives
  • Packaged in a eco-friendly kraft paper pouch, with a reusable glass jar and metal lid included in your first order to minimize environmental impact
  • Reviewed by experts in microplastic exposure and gut barrier science
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  1. Cornelli U et al., 2026. Reduction in circulating microplastics in humans following gastrointestinal sequestration by chitosan: A pilot controlled study. Journal of Xenobiotics. PMID: 42201087.
  2. Casella C et al., 2025. Preliminary study on PCC-chitosan’s ability to enhance microplastic fecal elimination in healthy adults. PMID: 40646942.
  3. Liu et al., 2025. Chitosan supplementation facilitates removal of ingested microplastics in vivo. PMID: 40268980
  4. Xiang T, Yang R, Li L, Lin H, Kai G. 2024. Research progress and application of pectin: A review. Journal of Food Science. PMID: 39394044.
  5. Pascale N, Gu F, Larsen N, Jespersen L, Respondek F. 2024. The potential of pectins to modulate the human gut microbiota evaluated by in vitro fermentation: A systematic review. Nutrients. PMID: 36079886.
  6. Chiacchio MF, Tagliamonte S, Visconti A, Ferracane R, Mustafa A, Vitaglione P. Baobab-Fruit Shell and Fibrous Filaments Are Sources of Antioxidant Dietary Fibers.Molecules.2022;27(17):5563. doi:10.3390/molecules27175563. PMID: 36080328.
  7. World Health Organization. Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants – Ulmus rubra. 2009.
  8. Li W, Sun K, Ji Y, Wu Z, Wang W, Dai Z, Wu G. Glycine Regulates Expression and Distribution of Claudin-7 and ZO-3 Proteins in Intestinal Porcine Epithelial Cells.J Nutr.2016 PMID: 27029941.
  9. Yang Y, Fan X, Ji Y, Li J, Dai Z, Wu Z. Glycine represses endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis and improves intestinal barrier by activating mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling.Anim Nutr.2021;8(1):1–9. doi:10.1016/j.aninu.2021.05.004. PMID: 34977370.
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