Is Reusing Your Gym Water Bottle Dangerous to Your Health?

Are you one of those people who constantly reuse the same water bottle when going to the gym? If you just answered yes to this question, you may want to read on to discover how potentially dangerous this can be to your health.

I am all for reusing water bottles to save our environment, but it is important you are making sure to sterilize them after every use. You may think one or two days of reusing the same water bottle is not big deal, but tests done by the Coffey Laboratories in northeast Portland discovered that a water bottle used only a couple days of week (without washing) contained a shocking 4,100 bacteria colonies!

A similar study, analyzed at the University of New South Wales,  found back wash to be a main contributor to bacterial build up in reused, unwashed water bottles. They also discovered that people who share water bottles could be spreading a common food poisoning bacteria known as staphylococcus. Too much consumption of this bacteria can potentially make you very sick.

Another study conducted at Calgary elementary school, brought to light an even more shocking discovery. Researchers found that about a third of the sampled water bottles contained bacteria content. Some of them even contained traces of fecal coliforms! The bacteria content found in the water bottles most likely came from the students forgetting  to wash their hands, and repeatedly coming in contact with their unsterilized water bottles.

Hopefully these studies have now convinced you to not only wash your water bottles in warm water and mild detergent after every use, but also to think twice before sharing your water bottle with a friend. Read more about these studies on the following sites:

Sources

http://www.kptv.com/news/15424379/detail.html#

http://health.ninemsn.com.au/whatsgoodforyou/factsheets/694247/are-water-bottles-safe-to-be-reused

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/people-who-frequently-reuse-their-water-bottles-may-be-risking-their-health.html

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