If you have beard, chances are you carry more bacteria than dog —Study

Spotting a beard has become a big deal among young men in recent times.

However, the fad has also attracted curious responses. For instance, some social media influencers refer to men who wear beards as “Yoruba demons.”

They say Yoruba demons are crops of young men, irrespective of tribe or religion, who refuse to marry even though they are successful at their careers and are financially okay enough to maintain decent homes.

But while the jury is still out on that, scientists at Hirslanden Clinic in Switzerland say they have discovered that beards have more bacteria than dog fur.

The scientists say their study was conducted in order to determine whether it would be hygienic to evaluate dogs and humans in the same MRI scanner.

In the study, the researchers compared the bacteria in specimens taken from 18 men and 30 dogs.

They also compared the extent of bacterial contamination of an MRI scanner shared by dogs and humans with two other MRI scanners used exclusively by humans.

After the exercise, the researchers revealed their findings: Every single bearded man, aged from 18 to 76, had high counts of bacteria in their beards; while only 23 out of the 30 dogs had the same result.

The other dogs tested recorded medium to low levels, the scientists revealed.

They say that seven of the men carried so much beard bacteria that there was a risk of them getting sick.

Author of the study, Prof. Andreas Gutzeit, said, “The researchers found a significantly higher bacterial load in specimens taken from the men’s beards, compared with the dogs’ fur.

“On the basis of these findings, dogs can be considered as clean, compared with bearded men.”

Bearded men aren’t taking things lying low, however, as they quickly argue that the study couldn’t be true, considering that dogs sniff and roll in places that adult humans wouldn’t.

Some bearded men also say that because they wash their beards each time they take a bath, the possibility of harbouring bacteria in here is near-nil.

Many of them argue that study is just another attack on bearded men.

However, some say the study might not be biased, after all. “When you eat certain foods, your moustache catches bits of food, so you do have to be wary of it. But you just clean it every day you have a shower,” a bearded man explains.