Microbes Attaching to Our Food

5 Second Rule, Not a Myth?

Ever wonder if the “5 second rule” was real or not? Well according to a new study, time does matter when it comes to bacteria clinging onto your freshly dropped food. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this rule, it states that food that has only touched the floor for five seconds or less is okay to eat.

Researchers studied the common bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to conduct this experiment. They studied these bacteria on different surfaces of the floor, like carpet, tiled or laminated surfaces. Then they tested the transferring of the bacteria unto a variety of foods, from pasta to sticky buns, when the food touched the floor. They discovered that time really does matter when it comes to the transfer of bacteria to a surface of food. They also discovered that bacteria are more likely to transfer from tiled or laminate surfaces than from carpet. So what does this mean for us?

Up until now the “5 second rule” has really been a myth. Does that mean we should still follow it, though? Well I suppose that depends on where you drop your food, but the infection risk from eating off the floor will still be there either way. Researchers say that if the food is picked up within five or less seconds of touching the floor, we run a lesser risk of contracting an infection. However, one could argue that we could avoid the risk of contracting an infection by just simply not eating food off the floor in the first place. I believe that since these bacteria are so common and present on the surfaces of floors, they are probably just as common on other surfaces that we touch daily, so we could easily contract them any other way. It seems pretty unavoidable. On a good note, people can now use the 5 second rule as an excuse to not only finish their food, but also stay relatively healthy. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140310102212.htm