Philip Tierno, Ph.D., clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, conducted similar studies, which found that half of lemon wedges collected from various restaurants were contaminated with human fecal matter. Ewww! But that’s not all: Restaurant employees may not be diligently washing lemons or even rinsing them. It’s easy for a server, bartender or chef to cross-contaminate after dealing with patrons, washing glasses and handling food.
“We found in every single group of specimens from different institutions, representations from the three body sites that men usually impart their flora,” Tierno tells HuffPost. Those include bacteria from the intestines (in the form of fecal matter), the respiratory tract (think coughing, talking, sneezing) and the skin. Among the specimens collected were E. coli, staphylococcus epidermidis and candida, a fungus commonly found in the vagina.
The ONE Time You Shouldn’t Drink Lemon Water was originally published on blackdoctor.org
