Your Soap and Toothpaste Could Be Messing With Your Microbiome

Homes, schools, clinics and hospitals are well stocked with soaps that include antimicrobial chemicals. Studies suggest that antibacterial soaps are not much more effective than plain soap and that the chemical triclosan can disrupt hormones. Studies have also found the chemical in most people’s urine and in many streams. “Disturbing the human microbiome has been ‘linked to a wide array of diseases and metabolic disorders, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and behavioral and metabolic disorders,’ wrote the paper’s authors, Alyson L Yee and Jack A Gilbert,” reports Alison Moodie for the Guardian. The researchers question if the chemicals could contribute to antibacterial resistance. The European Union and the state of Minnesota ban the chemical. – YaleGlobal