SWIMMING in the sea substantially increases the chance of developing stomach bugs, ear aches and other illnesses, researchers have found.

The University of Exeter Medical School and Center for Ecology and Hydrology carried out the study.

It concluded that compared to non-sea swimmers, the likelihood of developing an earache increases by 77 percent and by 29 percent for a gastrointestinal illness.

Besides swimming, the risks also apply to other water sports, such as surfing.

Researchers reviewed 19 studies linking sea bathing to illness from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Norway and analyzed results from more than 120,000 people.

Dr. Anne Leonard said, “Our paper shows that spending time in the sea does increase the probability of developing illnesses, such as ear ailments and problems involving the digestive system, such as stomachaches and diarrhoea.

“We think that this indicates that pollution is still an issue affecting swimmers.”

Research supervisor Dr. Will Gaze said, “We don’t want to deter people from going into the sea, which has many health benefits such as improving physical fitness, wellbeing and connecting with nature.

“However, it is important that people are aware of the risks so they can make informed decisions.”

Gaze said most people will recover from infections with no medical treatment but they can prove more serious for vulnerable people, such as the very old or very young.

He added, “We have come a long way in terms of cleaning up our waters, but our evidence shows there is still work to be done.”(SD-Agencies)