- NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - Using antibacterial soaps and cleansers at home may not necessarily
reduce your risk of getting sick, researchers report.
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- In a new study, people who used antibacterial soaps and
cleansers developed cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea
and other symptoms just as often as people who used products that did not
contain antibacterial ingredients.
Since most common infections, including colds and flu, are caused by viruses,
the lack of an effect on symptoms "is not surprising," according
to study author Dr. Elaine L. Larson at the Columbia University School
of Nursing in New York.
"Consumers need to know that it is more important to keep clean than
it is to use a specific antibacterial product," Larson told Reuters
Health.
"Perhaps the frequent admonitions we heard as children are more valid
now than ever--cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and wash your
hands!" Drs. J. Todd Weber and James M. Hughes of the National Center
for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(news - web sites) in Atlanta note in a related editorial.
In response to the study, the Soap and Detergent Association and the Cosmetic,
Toiletry, and Fragrance Association said in a joint statement: "Antibacterial
cleaning and personal care products do what they say they do: they kill
harmful bacteria."
The results of the study are not surprising, according to the groups, since
antibacterial products are not intended to be effective against viruses.
The trade organizations' statement notes that antibacterial products, depending
on their active ingredients, may be effective against bacteria that cause
odor, skin infections, food poisoning and intestinal illnesses.
According to one study, Larson's group reports, approximately 75 percent
of liquid soaps and 29 percent of bar soaps in the U.S. contain antibacterial
ingredients. But the benefits of antibacterial products in preventing infectious
diseases in households are still unproven, they note.
Larson and her colleagues studied 238 Manhattan families who were given
almost a year's supply of free soap and household cleaners. Half of the
families were given antibacterial products, while the other half received
products that did not contain antibacterial ingredients. Families, most
of whom were Hispanic, did not know what type of products theywere using.
For nearly a year, the families were closely followed to see how often
they experienced a wide variety of symptoms.
Runny nose, cough and sore throat were the most common symptoms, followed
by fever, vomiting, diarrhea and skin symptoms. These symptoms occurred
just as frequently in people who used antibacterial products at home as
they did in people who did not.
Throughout the study, use of antibacterial products did not have a significant
effect on any of the symptoms.
The "bottom line" of the study, according to Larson, is that
all households improved. During the study, participants had fewer infections
and lower bacterial counts on their hands than at the start of the study,
she said.
The current report, which appears in this week's issue of the journal Archives
of Internal Medicine (news - web sites), does not include information about
bacterial counts. But in a previous analysis of the results, Larson and
her colleagues found that families experienced a drop in bacterial counts
whether they used antibacterial or normal soaps and cleansers.
Despite the lack of an effect on symptoms, Larson and her colleagues note
that antibacterial products may be appropriate for preventing bacterial
symptoms, or in other specific situations, such as when a family member
has a weakened immune system or has skin or gastrointestinal infections.
The authors note that any potential benefits of antibacterial products
need to be weighed against the possibility that bacteria may develop resistance
to antibacterial products. Although there is no evidence that this has
happened, laboratory tests suggest that it may be possible.
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SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, March 2, 2004.
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