If you like to surf – or “hang ten” as many of the surfers call it, then there is some concerning news for you coming from one study. The news just might add more to your “to-do list” besides waxing your board before hitting the waves.
A new study by coming out of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom has determined that surfers are more prone to contracting “superbugs” that are resistant to antibiotics than others who enjoy visiting the beach.
Because surfers swallow, on average, ten times more water than swimmers or those who just enjoy being in the water at the beach, they consume more bacteria from sewer runoff despite the efforts of local authorities to maintain clean coastal waters.
The study found that surfers carried approximately three times the levels of the E coli bacteria than swimmers or other beachgoers. This often leads to what Dr. Anne Leonard, of the University of Exeter Medical School, calls the “gut colonization by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
Antibiotics are being abused by our modern healthcare community as well as in agriculture. They are often prescribed for viral infections when, in fact, they do not affect these types of infections at all.
Further, the agriculture community routinely puts antibiotics in livestock feed as a preventative measure. This introduces antibiotics into the farmland, where water runoff brings it to our water supplies and seas.
“We urgently need to know more about how humans are exposed to these bacteria and how they colonize our guts,” adds Dr. Leonard.
Until the medical community finds a solution to antibiotic-resistant superbugs and/or the local and national powers that be figure out how to control the introduction of antibiotics and other pharmaceutical contaminants into our waters, we should all be careful about how we enjoy our time in the water!
Share This Important Article with Anyone Who Spends Time at the Beach!
To learn more about avoiding superbugs and living a healthier lifestyle, “like” our Facebook Page and schedule an appointment with Dr. Barbee of Seaside Spine, Destin by calling (850) 460-2362 TODAY.