How Much You Shower Is Destroying Your Digestion, Science Says

If science were an actual person, it would likely tell you to chill out with all of that damn showering you've been doing.

Wait, how tall do you think science would be if it were a human being?

Actually, never mind that. The real question is how often should we be showering and is there such thing as over-showering?

A group of researchers who set out to answer these questions believe showering too frequently may cause immense damage to the microbiome, a group of "microorganisms which are found in association with both healthy and diseased humans," according to the Human Microbiome Project.

These microorganisms are in the form of various bacteria, archaea and viruses.

Showering too often may damage these microorganisms designed to stabilize your immune, digestive and cardiovascular systems.

A handful of the Yanomami people from the Amazon participated in a new study, which found them to have healthier microbes on their bodies due to their less frequent showering habits.

A report regarding the study published on IFL Science reads,

A study of the people of Yanomami village in the Amazon, who had 'no documented previous contact with Western people' found their skin, mouths, and feces hosted the richest complement of bacteria in any human population examined until that point — a complement that included antibiotic-resistant species, despite no known contact with antibiotics.

In other words, the Yanomami people would probably laugh in your face for saying this:

In relation to these findings, some people are completely rethinking their own personal hygiene routines. In a report regarding the study, Metro says MIT graduate Dan Whitlock hasn't taken a shower in 12 years.

Whitlock uses a special mist he created instead that is designed to preserve the microbiome. The product, called Mother Dirt AO+ Mist, is also said to contain a reasonable amount of "good bacteria" to revitalize the body.

Some of this "good bacteria" is said to be found in our armpits. That explains why washing them every few hours might be counterproductive rather than beneficial to your hygiene.

When speaking about creating the product, Whitlock admitted,

I didn't have a biology degree – I wasn't at an institution that was renowned for its biological research. And I was proposing something completely off the wall.

Yeah, it might be kind of difficult to convince investors and consumers not showering and using a spray bottle is beneficial to their health, but it isr, according to science.

It turns out Dan Whitlock originally came up with the idea to quit showering out of curiosity. He simply wanted to see how the human bodies might have reacted in the past when soap was non-existent.

I wasn't sure what would happen. But I knew it would be good.

So, what can YOU do to make sure you're not harming your good health?

Well, I wouldn't bank on quitting showering altogether just yet. After all, while there have been plenty of smaller studies highlighting how less showering is beneficial to the human body, a larger study with hard results has yet to be conducted.

Despite this, the existing research points toward excessive exterior "cleansing" of the body leading to a less healthy lifestyle overall.

Citations: You are probably showering far, far too much, according to science (Metro)