Patrick Schlievert, lead researcher and professor of microbiology at the University of Iowa said the following in a statement:
“What we are finding is that as people gain weight, they are increasingly likely to be colonized by staph bacteria — to have large numbers of these bacteria living on the surface of their skin. People who are colonized by staph bacteria are being chronically exposed to the superantigens the bacteria are producing. These staph colonies change the ecology of our body biomes — the balance between healthy and unhealthy bacteria on our skin and in our digestive tracts.”
It’s also important to point out that these bugs live in our gut bacteria and the best way to combat them is by eating healthy foods that are particularly good for the gut bacteria, including quinoa, dark chocolate, beans and oatmeal. Happy eating!