Antibacterial soaps do not provide any additional health benefits compared to normal soaps, a public health expert has said.
In fact, says University of Michigan professor Allison Aiello, they may cause antibiotic treatments to become less effective as a result of bacteria developing resistance.
A team lead by Professor Aiello looked at 27 studies conducted between 1980 and 2006.
Publishing their findings in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, they revealed that soaps containing the active ingredient triclosan were no more effective than plain soaps at killing e-coli bacteria.
The professor said that, although the higher concentrations of triclosan used in hospital settings may be more effective, the amounts used in antibacterial soaps are insufficient to destroy e-coli.
"What it means for consumers is that we need to be aware of what's in the products," she commented.
"The soaps containing triclosan used in the community setting are no more effective than plain soap at preventing infectious illness symptoms, as well as reducing bacteria on the hands."
Antibacterial soaps do not provide any additional health benefits compared to normal soaps, a public health expert has said.
