Category Archives: regular

I’m A Doctor — Focusing Too Much On Your Protein Intake Is Putting Your Health At Risk

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In his latest newsletter, NHS Surgeon and TikTok creator Dr Karan Rajan reveals that back in 2018, he was doing pretty significant damage to his gut health without even realising it.

He says: “My Indian ancestors were spiritually shaking their heads at me, because despite coming from a lineage of fibre-laden dal, lentils, and spice-rich cuisine, my diet at the time contained about as much fibre as a wet paper towel.

“You could almost hear the garam masala, coriander, and cumin seeds collectively sighing in disappointment every time I ate yet another low-fibre, protein-heavy meal.”

However, his gut health seemed fine. He was regularly passing stools, still very active and, in his words, “Nothing about my daily life screamed -you are a fibre-deficient failure.”

However, his blood tests said otherwise

While the routine blood tests he undertook didn’t suggest that a heart attack was imminent, Dr Rajan did experience a bit of a shock to the system when they revealed that his health wasn’t quite where it should be.

He explains: “let’s just say certain fractions of my cholesterol were slightly higher than they should have been. My triglycerides were creeping up, whispering ominous things about my future and the overall pattern wasn’t what you’d expect from a “healthy” young person.”

Initially, it didn’t make sense to the doctor. He didn’t eat fast food, he regularly exercised and his diet appeared to be overall pretty good.

Then, he explained, “it hit me…I had completely neglected one of the most powerful metabolic regulators: fibre.”

Fibre: essential for more than just bowel movements

Dr Rajan says: “Most people think of fibre as nature’s plumbing assistant; helpful for keeping you regular, preventing constipation, and producing structurally sound poops.

“But fibre is a metabolic heavyweight.”

He explains that some of the benefits of fibre include:

  • Cholesterol regulation: “It reduces cholesterol reabsorption, meaning less circulates in the blood, keeping arteries unclogged”

  • Blood glucose control: ”High-fibre diets have been linked to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes… and if you already have diabetes, fibre can blunt those glucose swings”

  • Cognitive & neurological benefits: Emerging research suggests fibre indirectly supports brain health by feeding gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs reduce neuroinflammation, improve the gut-brain axis, and may even protect against cognitive decline

  • Microbiome & liver function: ”A fibre-rich diet lowers systemic inflammation, reducing fatty liver disease risk and keeping gut-derived endotoxins from overwhelming the liver”

The UK Government also urges that we should eat more fibre

On their website, The British Nutrition Foundation warns: “Adults in the UK are not consuming enough fibre. On average, we consume about 20g per day rather than the recommended 30g.”

The UK Government also urges that eating more fibre can reduce your risk of bowel cancer, adding: “Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet as it aids digestion, prevents constipation and helps to reduce your risk of bowel cancer. Foods like wholegrain cereals, wholewheat pasta, oats, beans, chickpeas, and lentils are all sources of fibre.”

How to add more fibre to your diet

The NHS recommends the following steps:

  • Choose a higher-fibre breakfast cereal such as plain wholewheat biscuits (like Weetabix) or plain shredded whole grain (like Shredded wheat), or porridge as oats are also a good source of fibre.
  • Go for wholemeal or granary breads, or higher fibre white bread, and choose wholegrains like wholewheat pasta, bulgur wheat or brown rice
  • Go for potatoes with their skins on, such as a baked potato or boiled new potatoes. Find out more about starchy foods and carbohydrates.
  • Add pulses like beans, lentils or chickpeas to stews, curries and salads.
  • Include plenty of vegetables with meals, either as a side dish or added to sauces, stews or curries
  • Have some fresh or dried fruit, or fruit canned in natural juice for dessert. Because dried fruit is sticky, it can increase the risk of tooth decay, so it’s better if it is only eaten as part of a meal, rather than as a between-meal snack
  • For snacks, try fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, rye crackers, oatcakes and unsalted nuts or seeds
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I’m A GI Surgeon ― When You Eat Bananas Affects Their Health Benefits

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Did you know unripe bananas can have a small laxative effect?

I do, but not because I’m an expert on the fruit. I just really, really like green-tinted bananas ― life’s the best teacher, I suppose.

As bananas ripen, they become sweeter, too. That’s partly why they’re preferred for banana bread.

But according to gastrointestinal (GI) surgeon and author Dr Karan Rajan, there’s more variation in the food’s health benefits than you’d expect.

In a recent TikTok, he shared: “If you’re eating a banana… each stage offers a completely different nutritional profile.”

Which stage of banana ripeness is healthiest?

It depends on what your goals are.

In their green stage, Dr Rajan says, bananas are packed with resistant starches that work as a prebiotic (food for the healthy bacteria in our gut).

A 2021 study found that the resistant starch which is most present in the least ripe bananas can help to improve our microbiome.

Green bananas are lowest in sugar (10g per 100g) and highest in fibre (3.5g per 100g), the doctor continues.

In brown-spotted, overripe bananas, the sugar content nearly doubles to 17g per 100g. That, alongside their higher fibre content, is why less-ripe bananas might be better for those with diabetes.

Barely-ripe bananas have slightly less fibre and slightly more sugar, though as the fruit ages, “you also get more of a potassium boost.”

Fully ripe yellow bananas, meanwhile, are “packed with antioxidants,” the doctor says ― including catechins, which are great for our heart health and reducing inflammation.

It’s also got the highest vitamin C and B5 levels, and because that resistant starch we mentioned earlier has all but gone by the time the banana’s yellow, it;s far easier to digest.

That makes it perfect for a pre-workout snack, Dr Rajan suggests.

Lastly, overripe bananas have more sugar ― good for a quick, if short-term, energy hit ― and contain the least fibre.

It is also, however, “the richest in antioxidants” the fruit will ever be, as the brown spots we associate with older bananas come from those heart-healthy catechins.

How big are the differences really?

The 2021 paper we mentioned earlier said that while the types of fibre, sugar, and starch levels in bananas can change as they ripen, results from controlled studies don’t always match what’s found in store-bought bananas.

That’s partly down to “variables in the supply chain,” they say.

Besides which, all bananas have some health benefits. Turns out the best banana is often the one you like most.

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The Simple (And Slightly Gross) Way To Check Your Gut Health Using Sweetcorn

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Is it us or is everyone talking about gut health right now?

We recently learned that sourdough bread is better for our guts, that gut health is tied to Alzheimer’s disease, and there are specific times of the day that are best to eat to protect your gut health (to name a few).

However, with all this news coming at once, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and not understand where to start with your own gut health. How do you even know if yours is that healthy beyond how it feels?

Well, according to Nick Ilott, senior researcher and lead bioinformatician at The Oxford Centre for Microbiome Studies, University of Oxford, all you need is a little bit of sweetcorn.

I’m sure you know where this is going.

The sweetcorn test: how to simply test your gut health

First of all, and this may be difficult for some people, to do this test, you can’t eat sweetcorn for 7-10 days in something that is called the ‘wash-out phase’.

Once this time has passed, note down the date and time and eat some sweetcorn. You don’t need to have more than a handful of corn for this test to work but if you’ve been craving some corn on the cob, treat yourself.

Ilott explained: “Because the outer shell of the corn is indigestible, it will pass through your gastrointestinal tract with the rest of the food you’ve eaten and will eventually be visible in your stool.”

What you then need to do is keep an eye on the next few stools that you pass, and once you do spot a little kernel or two, note down the date and time.

“If you pass the corn in 12 hours or less, your gut is fast. If you don’t pass it for around 48 hours of more, then your gut is slow,” explained the expert.

“If you find your gut motility is on either end of the spectrum, there are fortunately things you can do to improve it.”

He advises that if your gut is consistently fast, you should visit your doctor for further tests.

Studies suggest that the median gut motility time is about 28 hours, and it’s considered “normal” for an individual person’s transit time to fall between 10 and 73 hours. If yours falls within this range, you don’t have to seek any further advice.

However, Ilott urges that if you feel your gut motility time is a little slow but you aren’t experiencing symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, lack of appetite or nausea, you should eat more fruit and vegetables to increase your fibre intake, as well as drink more water and exercise.

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This Is How Long You’re Only Meant To Sit On The Toilet For

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I hope this isn’t too disgusting to share, but honestly, I’ve long maintained that a sneaky five-minute sit-and-scroll on the loo is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

But if colorectal surgeon Karen Zaghiyan, MD, is to be believed, we all need to ensure we’re not sitting on the loo for too long.

In a video, the surgeon shared ten things she’d never do as a colorectal surgeon. Along with not using wet wipes and avoiding colonics, Zaghiyan says she “would never sit [for] more than five minutes on the toilet.” (gulp).

Why?

It’s all to do with strain ― which you should avoid where possible when going number two.

Many of us will be aware that not drinking enough water or eating enough fibre can cause constipation, hard-to-pass stools, and subsequent fissures, haemorrhoids, and more.

But it turns out that simply sitting on the can might take its own toll on your tushy.

“Sitting, especially if you are finished having a bowel movement or waiting to have a bowel movement and you’re just sitting there and scrolling the internet looking at social media, is really bad for your haemorrhoids,” the surgeon shared.

That’s because “there’s a vacuum effect on the toilet that pulls on the hemorrhoidal veins and aggravates them.”

So, your seemingly harmless number two routine could be causing you more bowels more harm than good ― especially if you’re sitting for more than five minutes.

What if I need that much time to get the job done?

“If you have not finished or begun your bowel movement in five minutes, get up, come back another time when you have the urge to go again,” Zaghiyan says.

“But do not sit there a long time ― obviously, this varies and it’s different for people that have gut conditions, have had surgeries, etc. ― I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about the average Joe who’s just sitting there spending half an hour in the toilet. Do not do that,” she finished.

Well, that’s us told…

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If Your Poo Looks Like This, It’s Time To See A Doctor

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(This story was originally published in 2019.)

It can be pretty, um, crappy dealing with bowel issues.

Figuring out what’s normal and what isn’t can be a challenge if you don’t know what to look for. Stools come in all shapes and sizes and can shift forms depending on what you’re eating or what is going on in your life at the moment.

“Bowel movements change from person to person depending on his or her diet, physical activity, how much water they consume and what medications they take,” said M. Nuri Kalkay, a retired gastroenterologist and health blogger.

Everyone has their own barometer of how often their body is used to going and what a typical stool looks like for them. But what if things change and you see something beyond the norm in the toilet? We chatted with some experts to determine what bowel habits are aren’t so ordinary and might require a trip to the doctor.

Black and/or tarry stools

Jeffery M. Nelson, surgical director at the Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases at Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center, said if your poo is black, “not just dark brown,” you should be concerned.

“This means bleeding is happening from an upper GI source like the esophagus, stomach or small bowel,” he explained.

There are some exceptions to this: If you’re taking iron supplements, for example, your stools may appear dark green to the point where they almost look black. If you’ve taken bismuth medication like Pepto Bismol, that can also make your stools look almost black. It’s always best to check with a doctor if you’re unsure.

Bright red blood in your stools

If you find blood in your stool either by itself on the toilet paper, in the water or streaked in the stools, this can indicate a bleeding source from the anal canal or a low rectal source.

“Things like internal haemorrhoids, anal fissures, rectal polyps or rectal cancers can all do this,” said Nelson. All of these are reasons to see a doctor.

Maroon-coloured stools

If your stools are this colour, then they’re likely also more liquid in consistency and paired with an unpleasant, distinct odour. According to Nelson, this can indicate bleeding from the very end of the small bowel or the colon.

“Diverticulosis and arteriovenous malformations are the classic causes of this presentation,” and a reason to go to the emergency room, he said.

Pale, oily and especially foul-smelling stools

“This finding is called steatorrhea and is due to excess fat in the stool,” explained Chris Carrubba, an internal medicine doctor in Jacksonville, Florida.

Carrubba said steatorrhea is often seen with malabsorption syndromes, pancreatic insufficiency and biliary disease. “The presence of steatorrhea indicates difficulty absorbing fat and these patients are at risk of developing deficiencies in fat soluble vitamins,” like vitamins A, D, E and K, he said.

Stools that are different than your typical bowel movements

Your body is a creature of habit in a lot of ways. For example, if you consistently have smooth, long sausage-like stools and suddenly they change to a completely different size, you should speak to your doctor.

“Pencil thin versus log-like routinely could mean that an inflammatory condition may be present such as Crohn’s or infection,” said Karen Soika, a general surgeon in Greenwich, Connecticut.

If the consistency of your stools has changed to watery or diarrhoea, this could signify irritable bowel syndrome, an infectious cause or an inflammatory bowel disease such as Ulcerative colitis.

IBS or infections can also increase constipation.

Watery diarrhoea after a camping trip

This can be due to giardia, “a protozoal organism that is found in freshwater and the reason that you should always boil and sanitise water from mountain streams or lakes,” Carrubba said.

Ingestion of this organism can result in giardiasis, which leads to abdominal pain and persistent, watery diarrhoea. The issue can be treated with antimicrobials. In addition to drinking contaminated water, you can also be exposed to giardia by eating uncooked vegetables or fruits that were rinsed in contaminated water and by improperly washing hands after coming into contact with faeces or an infected human or animal.

Mucus in the stool

This is usually due to inflammation of the intestines, said Peyton Berookim, a gastroenterologist in Los Angeles. He noted that the condition can be seen in inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s. It can also be due to inflammation caused by a bacterial infection or IBS.

“Mucus associated with blood and or abdominal pain should not be ignored and requires medical attention,” he explained.

Hard or infrequent stools

This signifies constipation and is usually caused by a lack of fibre in your diet, as well as low water intake. However, this issue may also be caused by medications, blockages in the intestine, or in more rare cases, colon cancer.

“Constipation can be treated in many ways and I always begin with increasing fibre and water intake. The recommended daily intake of fibre is at least 25 grams and the amount of water needed varies from person to person,” said Jack Braha, a gastroenterologist at Brooklyn Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Associates.

Laxatives are available over-the-counter to help with this issue and work by either increasing the motility in your gut or increasing the amount of water delivered to the colon, Braha said.

“But for symptoms that do not rapidly improve or begin after the age of 50, it is important to seek advice from a gastroenterologist in order to determine if further testing like a colonoscopy is needed to check for more serious issues such as an intestinal obstruction or colon cancer,” he said.

Loose, watery or frequent stools

“Diarrhoea is common after eating bad food or from an infection and should not last more than a week in most instances,” Braha explained.

Loose stools may be a cause for concern if the diarrhoea lasts longer than two weeks or when it is in conjunction with bleeding, weight loss or symptoms that keep you awake at night.

“When diarrhoea is not from an infectious source, we look for other common causes like lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease,” Braha said. “Gastroenterologists can usually find the cause of diarrhoea by checking certain blood tests, stool tests and performing a colonoscopy.”

Generally, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor if you’re concerned about your bowel movements at all. Your poo may be trying to tell you something.

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I’m A GI Surgeon ― This Massage Method Can Help To Relieve Constipation

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Constipation is a pretty common issue in the UK, with one in seven adults experiencing the bowel-based burden at any given time.

Women are more likely to experience constipation than men, possibly because our digestive systems are longer (fun!).

Still, knowing you’re not alone during your backed-up time of pain doesn’t necessarily make the condition easier.

So it’s a good thing surgeon, lecturer, and author Dr Karan Rajan has shared a simple massage method that can help to get your BMs back on track.

Why does massage help to relieve constipation and how do I do it?

The doctor began his video by saying that the pendulum method ― swaying your torso as you sit on the porcelain throne ― is a good way to unblock your bowels.

Imagine you’re blowing up a balloon as you attempt to go number two is also a good method, the gastrointestinal surgeon continued.

But he adds that “there’s evidence that abdominal massages in a sweeping clockwise motion can help.”

Dr Rajan advises we “always ensure you’re going from right to left” because this mimics the direction of our intestines.

This stimulates peristalsis, the movement of your guts that helps stool to pass through the system.

The doctor pointed to a 2022 randomised placebo-controlled study which found that “Abdominal massage should be one of the first-line conservative approaches in the management of functional chronic constipation.”

How can I prevent getting backed up in the future?

Eating a fibre-filled diet with lots of fruits and veggies, drinking enough water, exercising, and avoiding booze can all help your toilet routine, the NHS says.

They add that adopting a squat position can make the passage more efficient: “To make it easier to poo, try resting your feet on a low stool while going to the toilet. If possible, raise your knees above your hips,” the health service advises.

Per the NHS, you should see a GP about the condition if you:

  • are constipated and it’s not getting better with treatment
  • are regularly constipated
  • are regularly bloated
  • have blood in your poo
  • have lost weight without trying
  • are constipated and feel tired all the time
  • are taking medicine that’s causing constipation – such as opioid painkillers
  • notice sudden changes in how you poo (your bowel habits)
  • have tummy pain.
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Here’s How Many Seconds Science Says It Takes To Poop, And Wow, Am I Doing It Wrong

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We’ve already shared at HuffPost that you’re not actually meant to sit on the loo for more than five minutes at a time.

We’ve also written about the fact that, although women tend to have more complications with their BMs, men spend a lot more time on the porcelain throne.

While writing the second article, though, I learned something that turned my world inside out.

According to some scientists, most mammals (and yep, we’re a part of that) should take no longer than 12 of Gillian McKeith’s own seconds to pass a poop.

What? Why?

Well, okay, it’s not as exact as that.

But according to a paper published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in their journal Soft Matter (I know), most mammals take between five and 19 seconds; 12 seconds on average.

The study, called Hydrodynamics of Defecation, looked at a range of mammals of different sizes at Zoo Atlanta. They didn’t study humans.

It found that, from a cat to an elephant, a majority (roughly 66%) of mammals took the same, sub-20 amount of seconds to pass a stool.

Patricia Yang, a mechanical engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, said that that may be because “The smell of body waste attracts predators, which is dangerous for animals.”

“If they stay longer doing their thing, they’re exposing themselves and risking being discovered,” the study’s main author told New Scientist.

How come it all takes the same time?

Pooping doesn’t work the way most of us think, the study revealed.

We’re not pushing the BMs out like removing toothpaste from a tube; “It’s more like a plug that just goes through a chute,” the study’s lead author said.

That’s partly because of the mucus that lines our gut and makes it slippery.

Add to that the fact that poop seems to take up a similar amount of space in the gut before it’s excreted across most species (five times the diameter of the mammals’ rectum), and it’s no wonder they exert a similar amount of pressure and take around the same time.

Though, again, the study didn’t look at humans, its lead author said “If it’s taking far longer than 12 seconds, I’d say you should go see someone about it.”

“But you can’t count the newspaper time,” she added.

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So… Why Do Men Spend So Much Time In The Bathroom?

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In an Instagram Reel that’s been viewed over 70 million times, site user Hannah Stocking put a book above her loo’s cistern, placed a seat cover on the toilet, and walked out to her partner.

“I have to go,” he said forlornly; “I love you,” they both whispered as he entered the WC.

Arms on a clock span as he played games, scrolled, and generally hung out in there, pants around his ankles. He eventually emerges, bearded and disoriented.

“When your man goes to the bathroom,” the caption reads.

It’s not just an anecdotal thing or a funny post, though; according to a survey run by UK Bathrooms, men spend, on average, one hour and 35 minutes perched on the toilet each week compared to women’s 55 minutes.

Why?

It’s not usually stomach issues; or at least, it’s less likely to be that than it is for women.

Dr. Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist, told Yahoo Life: “It’s true that men do spend longer in the toilet or on the toilet than women do, but in reality are much less likely to have bowel issues and chronic constipation than women are.”

Women’s colons are, on average, 10cm longer than men’s; our hormones also typically fluctuate more often, beleaguering our BMs.

A 2017 study from the University of Oxford and the University of Canberra found that not only are men more likely than women to scroll on the loo (20% vs 26.5%).

A YouGov study also found women feel more nervous about going number two in public loos, where lines are generally also longer than men’s.

But if we’re being real, I reckon we all know the true answer ― a lot of men admit to looking for a bit of an escape and some “me time” on the porcelain throne.

One-third of British men admit to hiding in the loo to escape their families compared to one-fifth of women, according to a survey by bathroom company Pebble Grey.

In a Vice article,

one leisurely loo goer said

: “Now that I live with my girlfriend, I often use that alone time to plan dinners for the both of us and just generally take stock of the days ahead and what I’ve got going on.”

But doesn’t everyone like some me time?

Well, yes.

“I’ve had some clients tell me that the bathroom allows for the perfect escape from parenting duties,” Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist and author, told LiveScience.

“It can be a hideout for people because no one ever asks what you’re doing in there, even if you take a long time. It can truly be a safe place.”

That’s despite Office of National Statistics data that showed fathers of children aged five to 10 enjoyed five hours more leisure time than women per week, and “consistently took more leisure time than women regardless of how old the child in their household was.”

A 2023 Mumsnet post from a poster whose husband took several half-hour-long loo breaks daily reads, “The house would [be] chaos, the family wouldn’t eat and nothing would get done if I took 20 minutes out several times a day.”

Of course, if medical issues are to blame, ensure you see a doctor. And if it’s not a real cause of contention, hey ― scroll away.

Just don’t stay seated while, er, exposed for longer than five minutes (that can cause piles); and if you dash to the bog every time you need an escape, you might want to consider other, less pungent sources of “me time.”

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I’m A Doctor ― This Common Gut Health Buy May Be A Waste Of Money

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It’s well-known that if you’re going on antibiotics, you’ll need to supplement the tablets with probiotics to protect your gut’s microbiome, right?

The medication wipes out the “good” bacteria along with the bad, and you need something like a specially-designed probiotic drink to restore it, the common argument goes.

But Dr. Karan Rajan, who’s known for spreading his medical know-how on TikTok, recently shared a video explaining that the relationship isn’t as straightforward as that.

Why not?

“Whilst there are some strains of bacteria known to have a protective effect at reducing the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, there’s no guarantee your average supermarket probiotic [drinks] contain these strains, even if they claim to,” he says.

“And even if they do contain it, are they even alive or present in sufficient concentrations to have any effect?” he asked.

He’s not alone in doubting the supermarket supplement.

Women’s Health writes that “the benefits [of supermarket probiotic drinks] are negligible,” with or without antibiotic use; dietitian Sophie Medlin told Which?, ”[the effect of probiotic supplements] depends on what bacteria is already present in your gut. This is why it’s hard to prove probiotics offer the same benefit to everyone.”

Medlin and Women’s Health both agree that research into the effectiveness of probiotic drinks is thin on the ground.

It’s not that nobody thinks any probiotic drink can help; it’s just that proving they do can be harder than you’d think.

“The jury is still out about which strains and which dosages are the most effective,” Dr. Karan Rajan says.

“So instead of spending your money on [probiotic drinks], there is something more evidence-based and effective that you can do during and after taking antibiotics.”

Which is?

I hate to be this person, but; plain ol’ fruits and veggies, apparently.

“Add more prebiotic fibres to your meals,” the doctor advised. “These plant fibres feed and encourage the growth of the existing good bugs.”

He added that “you can get these prebiotics in the form of supplements like psyllium husks or fibre-rich plants ― fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses.”

The doctor went on to say that brightly-coloured plants “tend to have a higher concentration of polyphenols, which our good gut bugs love.”

“Instead of these store-bought probiotics, go for the stuff naturally found in food ― they’re more likely to contain live bacteria in the form of lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which happen to be two of the most researched strains of probiotics,” Dr. Rajan ended his video.

Of course, listen to your doctor first, and if you’ve noticed benefits from drinking probiotic drinks then continue enjoying them.

Though some argue there’s not much proof for their effectiveness, there’s no definitive proof they don’t work, either.

But as dietician Kaitlin Colucci told Which?, while they “can be beneficial” for people who are unwell, “For healthy people without symptoms there’s no need to take probiotic supplements.”

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The Nasty Truth About ‘Poo Plumes’ — And How To Protect Yourself From Them

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A wise philosopher once noted, “everybody poops,” and if you live in the United States and many other parts of the world, you’re probably using a toilet when you do.

So just how germy are they? And what can we do to keep our toilets, our bathrooms, and ourselves as faecal-matter-free as possible?

That’s what we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast — asked microbiologist Jason Tetro, aka “The Germ Guy,” when he recently chatted with us about the grossest parts of our bathrooms and how to vanquish the bad germs that might be thriving in them.

Listen to the full episode by pressing play:

“There are trillions and trillions and trillions of microbes that are essentially part of you,” Tetro, the author of “The Germ Files” and “The Germ Code,” told us. “The majority of them happen to be in your gastrointestinal system … As you might expect then, the majority of germs that we’re going to encounter in any household happen to be in the toilet.”

Many of those microbes are harmless, but some can make us sick. Even though our toilets do a great job of capturing and eliminating our waste, rogue “poo particles” (a decidedly non-scientific term Michelson used) can still escape the bowl — especially if we don’t shut the lid when we flush.

“This first started [to be studied in 1976], and the whole idea was, is there something that’s coming out of the toilet when you flush it if you don’t keep the lid down?” Tetro said. “[Back then we called it] a ‘plume.’ So it’s not ‘poo particles,’ it’s a plume of droplets in the air.”

Scientists placed petri dishes around a toilet, flushed it multiple times, and looked to see if anything sprouted.

“Sure enough, within six feet of that toilet, you had microbes that were growing because that’s the droplets’ span,” Tetro said.

“Let’s jump to today, because we now have had the ‘Austin Powers’ movies, and as a result of that, what are we going to use to be able to identify poo droplets? A freakin’ laser,” he said laughing.

After using lasers to map toilet plumes, scientists confirmed that they can launch as high as six feet in the air and the spray can land as far as six feet from the bowl.

“Within six feet of your toilet is usually your toothbrush,” Tetro noted. “When you think of it from that perspective, then you start to begin to realise that if you’re not closing the lid, then what ends up happening is that plume of droplets that contains your poo particles are getting onto things that are going to be touching your face and going inside of your mouth.”

That’s bad news because, as Tetro explained, “those fecal microbes can potentially cause infection and other problems.”

Though a partial plume could still escape from the sides of the seat even with the lid down, Tetro assured us most of the spray would be contained.

“If you keep the lid closed and you do end up with a little bit of a plume coming out of the sides, it’s just essentially gonna drop,” he said. ”[Just] make sure that you’re cleaning the floor around your toilet.”

What about cleaning the toilet itself?

“If you were to be able to swab a [toilet bowl] and then run that on a petri dish, you’re probably going to get a bunch of bacteria, but most of those are going to be environmental because it’s from the water,” Tetro said. “The reason for that is because toilets do what they’re supposed to do, which is to remove whatever is in the bowl — other than the plume — and take it down into the drain. So, in that sense, you really don’t need to worry too too much about contamination and growth and all that stuff.”

What we do need to worry about are biofilms, which are caused by bacteria in the water and often form as rings in our toilet bowls (and other places like our bathtubs and shower heads).

“They become very sticky and that’s where the poo bacteria can essentially start to accumulate,” Tetro said. “So what you want to do is try and prevent any of these biofilms from forming. It takes about three days to start creating a biofilm that isn’t visible, but could start being sticky. So if you really wanna be clean about it, then you want to be cleaning about every three days.”

However, Tetro said that it takes about seven days before “any of that stickiness could lead to poo sticking around,” so he advised cleaning our toilets once a week.

“The only time that I would say that you would want to do it more than that is if someone does have a gastrointestinal infection,” he added. “We’ve seen Salmonella survive in a toilet bowl up to seven weeks… [so] if you have any GI issues, then you really should be cleaning up later on that same day.”

We also chatted about the parts of our bathrooms with the most germs (they probably aren’t the spots you’d guess), how often we should be washing our towels (and the gross reason they start to smell), and much more.

So listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.

Make sure to subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” so you don’t miss a single episode, including our investigations of the ins and outs of tipping, how to apologise or vanquish your credit card debt, how to find love online or overcome anxiety, tips for online shopping, taking care of your teeth and pooping like a pro, secrets to booking and staying in a hotel, how to deal with an angry person, cooking tips from celebrity chef Jet Tila, shocking laundry secrets, the tips and tricks for cleaner dishes, getting your best workout and more.

For more from Jason Tetro, visit his website here.

Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com, and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.

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