Feel Good


Debunking the 5-Second Rule

A new study takes a look at the old mantra.

BY September 20, 2016

Greg Williams via Wikimedia Commons

Time to abolish the 5-second rule.

A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that the so-called rule evoked whenever, say, your schoolyard buddy picked up a fallen cookie, really doesn’t matter. Basically, the second food hits the floor it gets infected with bacteria. True, the longer it’s on the floor the more bacteria it picks up. But as long as it lands on something unclean, it’s potentially picking up something nasty that could make you sick. 

We’ll see if this latest bit of research does anything to reverse the age-old rule. The New York Times says the concept may date back hundreds of years to the time of Genghis Khan.  

 

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