Welcome, Pablo, and congratulations on receiving the ECO2026 Prize for Public Engagement & Science Communication in relation to your abstract “Ingestion of polystyrene nanoplastics promotes impaired glucose tolerance and fat accummulation in mice”. Could you tell us about yourself, and your work?
Thank you very much. It is a real honour to receive this award.
I am a predoctoral researcher at the University of Almería (Spain), where I work in the ChroCoDiL Lab under the supervision of Dr. Tania Romacho. My research focuses on understanding how environmental factors, particularly micro- and nanoplastics, may contribute to cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
My current work combines in vivo studies with mice, gut microbiota analysis, metabolomics, molecular biology and histological analysis to investigate how ingested nanoplastics affect the gut-adipose tissue axis and metabolic health.
Alongside my research, I am passionate about science communication. I strongly believe that research should not remain within laboratories or scientific journals; it should reach society in a way that is accessible, engaging and useful.
What first drew you to research nanoplastics and metabolic health, and why is this an important story to share beyond the research community?
What fascinated me most was that nanoplastics represent an emergent environmental pollutant whose effects on human health are just beginning to understand.
We are all exposed to micro- and nanoplastics every day through food, water and the environment, however very few people realize that these particles may interact with biological systems in ways that could influence chronic diseases. Understanding this interaction could help explain part of the increasing burden of metabolic diseases worldwide.
Your work presented at ECO suggests that exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics may impair glucose tolerance and increase adipose tissue accumulation in mice. What is the key message you want people to take from these findings?
The most important message is that environmental pollution deserves greater attention when we think about metabolic diseases.
Our findings do not mean that nanoplastics directly cause obesity or diabetes in humans. Rather, they provide evidence that these particles may contribute to metabolic dysfunction and therefore deserve further investigation.
Micro- and nanoplastics are often discussed as an environmental issue, but your research connects them with obesity, diabetes and metabolic health. How do you communicate this link clearly, accurately, and with relevance to people’s everyday lives?
I usually begin with something familiar. Everyone has heard about plastic pollution, so I start there before explaining that tiny plastic particles have been detected in food, drinking water and even human tissues.
From there, I explain that our research investigates whether these particles can affect key biological processes involved in metabolism. I always make it clear that our studies are performed in experimental models and that more research is needed before drawing conclusions about human health.
I also try to avoid technical language and instead use examples people can relate to. Rather than focusing on complex molecular pathways, I explain that we are studying whether long-term exposure to these particles could influence how our bodies regulate blood sugar or store fat. This approach makes the science easier to understand without oversimplifying the evidence.
You have led several public engagement activities. Could you tell us more about these activities, the audiences you reached, and how you adapted your communication for different groups?
Public engagement has become one of the most rewarding parts of my work. I have presented our research during the European Researchers’ Night, participated in school outreach activities, and coordinated workshops during the Science and Innovation Fair. Across these activities, I have engaged with audiences ranging from primary and secondary school students to teachers, families and members of the general public.
Each audience requires a different approach. With younger students, I focus on interactive activities and simple visual demonstrations to spark curiosity. For example, we use real samples to show how microplastics can be detected in everyday products, such as bottled water and soft drinks. Seeing these particles in common beverages makes the topic much more tangible and encourages discussions about environmental pollution, human exposure and healthy habits. We also talk about practical ways to reduce plastic pollution and explain how scientists investigate these questions in the laboratory.
For adult audiences, I place greater emphasis on the scientific evidence, explaining both what we know and what remains uncertain. Regardless of the audience, my objective is always the same: to make people feel that science is relevant to their daily lives and that research is something everyone can understand and appreciate.
Looking ahead, what are the next steps for your research, and how do you hope your work will contribute to wider conversations about plastic exposure, metabolic health and obesity risk?
Our next step is to better understand the molecular mechanisms linking nanoplastic exposure with metabolic dysfunction. We are currently integrating microbiome analysis and metabolomics to identify the biological pathways affected by nanoplastics. I hope my work contributes to bringing environmental exposures into the conversation about obesity and diabetes.
Finally, I hope to continue building bridges between science and society. Research has the greatest impact when it is not only scientifically rigorous but also accessible, understandable and meaningful to the people it is ultimately intended to benefit.
Thank you, Pablo, and congratulations again on receiving the ECO2026 Prize for Public Engagement & Science Communication. We look forward to following your work over the coming years!
Read this and other abstracts from the 33rd European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Obesity Facts
This Prize was awarded with the unconditional support of Lilly. Eli Lilly & Company provided funding for the prize but had no role in the prize selection process or future direction of the winners’ work.
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