Making sports, movement and going to the gym is part of healthy habits for a healthy life, but according to a recent search the tools that we find in the gym can have many more bacteria than we think.
The frequent use of gym equipment by multiple people creates an environment in which bacteria can thrive. Although many gyms provide disinfectant wipes, this is not enough to protect us from bacteria.
A new study revealed that the gym equipment contain more bacteria of many common surfacesand this has numerous health risks.
The study
The research, conducted by Fitted, discovered that the gym machines, including treadmills, bike and free weights, contain over a million germs per square inch.
Chelsea Freeburn, member of the Fitted creative team, said:
Gym equipment is generally used by a community of people. If they are not carefully cleaned before and after use, bacterial growth can occur.
We can compare everything to long handshakes with more sweaty people, so it is clear that a classic treadmill is 74 times more bacteria than a tap of a public bathroom.
Among the identified bacteria are Gram-positive cocciwhich can lead to skin infections, e Gram-negative sticks resistant to antibiotics. The study found that free weights come to contain 362 times more bacteria than a toilet seat, while the treadmills 74 times more germs of a typical tap of a public bathroom.
Among the ways to reduce the risk of exposure to these germs there is a regular disinfection of the gym equipment, practice good hygiene of the rooms, avoid touching your face and washing your hands carefully.
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