The shaker bottle, holds everything from water to post-workout protein shakes. But, could it also be a vehicle capable of transmitting various pathogens, or is this just some dirty joke?
This study put 60 bottles to the test.1 Thirty were brand-new, non-used bottles (NUB), and 30 were used bottles (UB) randomly selected in a dry and empty state from gym goers.
Here [see video] is the percentage contamination found for non-used bottles…and used bottles. 25 of the 30 (83%) had verified bacteria growth. The most frequent species were Staphylococcus aureus (27%), a leader of skin and soft tissue infections, and E. coli (17%) — the reason we did not have romaine lettuce this past Thanksgiving.
The authors conclude that, “the best way to avoid bacterial proliferation in the shakers is make sure they are correctly and frequently cleaned, such as daily washing with neutral soup in association with proper hand hygiene to prevent contamination.”
References
- Silveira, M. B., Scudese, E., Senna, G. W., Ferreira, A. P., Dantas, E. H. M., Cláudio, L., ... & Guedes, P. (2018). Microbial Contamination in Shaker Bottles among Members of Fitness Centers. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online, 21(4), https://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineAUGUST2018_Senna.pdf
- https://www.giantmicrobes.com