When was the last time you put your reusable water bottle into the dishwasher? You might want to do it right now because a team of Brazilian scientists conducted an amazing experiment.

They were eager to find out if reusable water battles are a carrier of bacteria in the gym? Nobody paid much attention to this aspect of hygiene before, but you might want to after you hear the results.

A health hazard

Gilmar Weber Senna, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and his team wanted to know how much microbial content there is in shaker bottles.

There have been speculations that shaker bottles are a culprit for many health problems of gym members, but there wasn’t proof. To carry out their study, the team needed real-life examples.

To analyze as precisely as possible, they stood in the gym all day and asked people to donate their bottles for testing. They compiled 30 used shakers, as well as bought 30 new ones to compare results. What they found out was astonishing to gymgoers and experts around the world.

The results

In 27% of all bottles, there were large traces of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. E. Coly was present in 17% of all tested bottles. This shows us that bacteria are widely present in gym-goers’ bottles.

With this in mind, unwashed shakers have started to be considered as some of the most prominent carriers of microbial organisms. Our mouths and fingers are in contact with bottles during the workout, when we are the sweatiest.

“In the beginning, we faced a dilemma on how to conduct the research,” explains professor Senna. “To avoid people purposely cleaning their bottles beforehand, we just appeared at the gym and asked people to help us with the experiments.

Almost everyone obliged and we were able to get real-life results from people who have just finished a workout in the gym.

How to avoid bacteria spreading?

Staph bacteria are not necessarily dangerous, but some strains of E. coli can cause intestinal problems and diarrhea. However, there are also other microbial organisms hiding on and in your shaker bottle. What can you do to prevent them from spreading?

The best thing you can do is to wash your hands before handling the bottle. Another good idea is to give the bottle a good wash.

Many bacteria are attracted to the smell and taste of sweat. This makes bottles infection magnets, especially after you’re hands are sweaty during a set. Avoid touching your face in the gym, as well. If you need to wipe the sweat, use a special towel or disposable tissues.

Many gyms offer these tissues, but avoid facilities which don’t have closed bins. Open baskets are a breeding ground for bacteria. And, of course, wash your bottle after every workout. It’s practically impossible to have a sterile shaker, but you can kill off the majority of the bacteria.

While it’s touted as a smart way to prevent cavities and keep the teeth clean, dental floss is coming under fire in a new survey for having links to a series of serious illnesses, including testicular cancer and thyroid disease.

Our Love for Dental Floss and Eating Out

For lovers of flossing and take-out, there’s no better substitute for either. Flossing keeps mouth breath clean and teeth shiny, and take-out – well, take-out makes life so much better. They’re both such deeply embedded parts of culture and society that it would be hard to weed them out.

But there’s bad news in the air. A new recent study suggests that dental floss and take-out might be super dangerous, thanks to the chemicals present in floss and take-out packaging. If you still think there’s nothing to worry about, read the next section.

How Dangerous Could They Be?

The study, which gets published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, found that some dental floss products were leading to high levels of PFAS in the blood.

PFAS is a compound also known as polyfluoroalkyl that is commonly found in grease-proof and waterproof products, such as dental floss and fast food packaging.

The study found that users of both the former and the latter had high concentrations of the compound in their blood and that there was a correlation to some of today’s worst illnesses, including kidney disease, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, and high cholesterol.

In an even worse twist, the study found that users of some popular dental floss brands and products, including Glide, had higher amounts of a PFAS compound called PFHxS in their bloodstreams.

The study also discovered that human behaviors were mostly responsible for the results in some of the participants. Activities such as consuming takeout from cardboard-coated packaging were found to directly correlate with higher amounts of four different types of PFAS in participants’ blood.

The Facts of the Study

The study was carried out between 2010 and 2013 by researchers from the Silent Spring Institute and Public Health Institute using a sample population of 178 women that had previously been part of a study sample for the Public Health Institute between 1959 and 1967.

The study aimed to look for 11 different types of PFAS, and examined a series of activities including dental flossing and fast food consumption, later concluding between 2015 and 2016.

What’s The Solution?

Luckily, there’s a solution. According to the study’s lead author, Katie Boronow, “The good news is that based on our findings, consumers can choose flosses that don’t contain PFAS.”

In other words, you can always choose dental floss that doesn’t contain the compound PFAS, even though that might mean leaving your favorite brand, such as Glide, which was found by the study to have the compound in some of its flosses.

Here’s to hoping that dental floss makers can react to this study and start limiting the presence of this compound in their products. In the meantime, stay safe.

Every new business hopes to become the next big thing. More often than not, these ventures fizzle out. But on occasion, they find more success than anyone ever imagined.

That’s why it’s important to remember that many of today’s most influential corporations started out as tiny food stands or a few desks shoved in a garage. With vision, hard work, and a little luck, these companies rose from their humble origins to change the world forever.

1. Mattel (Segundo, CA, 1965)

One of Mattel’s biggest triumphs was Barbie. Though first conceived by Ruth Handler, it was Charlotte Johnson, pictured below, who designed the doll’s outfits.

2. Microsoft (Albuquerque, NM, 1978)

Now that’s a lot of hair! Childhood friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded this computer company in 1975. By 1987, Gates was a billionaire.

3. Disneyland (Anaheim, 1961)

Since 1955, Disneyland has entertained over 700 million visitors. The park has changed over the years, but one thing remains the same: guests always leave with a smile!

As a bonus, here’s Walt Disney riding the teacups! Did the man know something that we didn’t? Maybe the dizziness helped him come up with more ideas…

4. Taco Bell (Downey, CA, 1962)

After years of selling hot dogs, Glen Bell opened his first taco stand. By 1978, he expanded to over 800 locations. This original restaurant avoided demolition after Taco Bell uprooted the entire building and drove it 45 miles to Irvine.