Girls Make Gyms Germier Than Guys Do

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

Good news for all you sweaty stinky men who hit the gym on a regular basis--you are no longer solely to blame for spreading germs on fitness equipment. In fact, a new study found that women are germier than men.

The new study found that women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. In addition, the study also revealed that both males and females have a disturbing amount of bacteria on their hands.

"The sheer number of bacteria species detected on the hands of the study participants was a big surprise, and so was the greater diversity of bacteria we found on the hands of women," the study's lead researcher noted.

Researchers couldn't say why women harbored a greater variety of bacteria than men, but some suggested it might have to do with the acidity of a woman's skin. Earlier studies prove that men generally have more acidic skin than women.

Researchers say other reasons female's hands are a haven for bacteria could be attributed to the amount of sweat and oil gland production between men and women, the frequency of moisturizer or cosmetics applications, skin thickness and hormone production. In addition, researchers pointed out that women also have more bacteria living under the surface of the skin that is not accessible to washing.

So what does this mean if follow a woman on the lat pull-down machine or the elliptical trainer?

Researchers say you have two options: Either spray down the apparatus with disinfectant before using it (most gyms keep a bottle filled with anti-bacterial spray in the corner of weight rooms) or thoroughly wash your hands when you have completed your workout.

I should note that researchers stressed that "the vast majority of the bacteria we have on our body are either harmless or beneficial ... the pathogens are a small minority." Meaning that you don't have to quit working out just because you are afraid to be infected by another person's germ-infested hands.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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