How Microplastics and Inflammation Affect Your Brain

How Microplastics and Inflammation Affect Your Brain

From Kwik Brain with Jim Kwik by Jim Kwik, Your Brain Coach, Founder www.KwikLearning.com

May 25, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of microplastics and inflammation on brain health with experts David Roberts and Dr. John Gildea.

Most people think feeling tired, foggy, inflamed, and “off” is just part of modern life. But what if your body is working overtime behind the scenes trying to protect you from a toxic load your grandparents never had to deal with? In this episode of the Kwik Brain podcast, I sit down with David Roberts and Dr. John Gildea, founders of Mara Labs, to unpack what modern toxins, chronic inflammation, and microplastics may be doing to your brain, gut, energy, and recovery. David Roberts’ interest in this work began after his late wife, Mara, was diagnosed with breast cancer, a deeply personal experience that pushed him to look more closely at the science of cellular protection and detoxification. Dr. John Gildea is a Johns Hopkins-trained PhD and molecular biologist with decades of research experience in oxidative stress, gene expression, and the body’s natural defense systems. We talk about what is really happening when your body feels slower to recover, why brain fog may be one of the earliest warning signs that your system is under stress, and how your detox pathways, inflammation levels, and gut barrier all play a role in how sharp or sluggish you feel. In this episode, you’ll…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Kwik

Guests: David Roberts, Dr. John Gildea

Topics covered

  • microplastics
  • inflammation
  • brain health
  • detoxification
  • chronic toxins
  • cellular protection

Keywords

  • brain fog
  • chronic inflammation
  • sulforaphane
  • detox pathways
  • oxidative stress
  • gut health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mara Labs, Johns Hopkins

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