Iconic Aussie tradition that makes health experts nervous: 'Would you lick somebody's foot?'

A shoey is a tradition that's become an Australian rite of passage.

Post Malone and Daniel Ricciardo have proudly performed a shoey in front of a cheering crowd, while stars who come to Australia are often encouraged to follow suit by a chanting crowd.

Harry Styles and Luke Combs were both recently inducted into the Australian Shoey Hall of Fame, but should we really be sculling our beverages from our shoe? According to the experts, the answer is no.

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"I get nervous [when I see people doing it], partly because the foot inside the shoe creates a nice environment, a warm, moist environment for microbes to grow," Mark Turner, Professor of Food Microbiology at the University of Queensland, tells 9honey.

"So there's a good chance that when you wash that shoe out with beer, or whatever, that you'll be also mixing up the microbes, the bacteria and fungi that are also in the shoe and then you'll be ingesting those in your stomach, so there is a risk with picking up infections from that."

Depending on how new or clean a shoe is, they can harbour a whole host of nasties.

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Turner says there's a chance we could step in bird poo or dog poo without knowing it, which could introduce some "really nasty chemicals" like E Coli. Then there is the concern around any cuts, infections or fungi.

"If you've got a cut, a bit of a minor infection or some puss or something in your toes and then it gets in the shoe, it could be pretty gross," he says. 

"The other ones are fungi as well, so people get, you know, athlete's foot and that sort of thing. They get these fungal infections between their toes, which can also be in there, you're drinking that as well." 

Now, obviously this isn't to say anyone who does a shoey will have an infection on their feet, but Turner says there's a very good chance a shoe will have some sort of unhealthy microbe in it and it's not worth the risk. 

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Introducing our systems to these nasties could potentially lead to things like food poisoning, Turner says, but they can also "move into the bloodstream and cause more severe illnesses".

While someone with a strong immune system may not notice any adverse health effects afterward, the risk is still there and it depends on the type of bacteria present.

"It's not a case of, 'It'll help build your immune system', you know, these things will still get through your immune system if you've for the right organism in there, you know, something really nasty gets in there and then yeah it doesn't matter what you do, it'll get infected.

For those with weakened immune systems, on the other hand, they "are at a much higher risk of picking up an infection that they can't fight".

Dr Tom Jeffries, Senior Lecturer of microbiology at Western Sydney University warns of the same risks.

"Most of the 'foot microbiome' is harmless but there are some bugs, Like Staphylococcus aureus ('golden staph') and Candida yeast that can be 'opportunistic pathogens' which means they can cause disease when they enter parts of the body they are not meant to be in, such as your GI tract or blood," Jeffries says.

"Also, your shoe can collect microorganisms from the soil and water, which can contain E. Coli and viruses than can cause gastro, particularly at places with poor drainage and sewage like a music festival."

And these could wreak havoc on our health.

"Bacteria such as like E. Coli and waterborne viruses can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and headaches. Staphyloccous and Candida yeast can cause skin and tissue infections and become more serious if they they migrate into the blood stream and cause septicemia," Jeffries says.

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When it comes to what type of shoe is riskiest, Turner says they all carry a risk of potential infections but the warmer and less breathable the shoe the more likely it is to be home to bacteria. 

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Turner and Jeffries appreciate a shoey is a common part of Aussie popular culture but overall advise against it all together.

"I wouldn't do it because there's a potential there for an infection to occur and even though the risk is low, it's still there. So the value for money of doing that is not worth it in my opinion," Turner says.

"Whilst there is not much specific data on shoeys, common-sense should prevail," Turner says.

"Would you lick somebody's foot, drink wastewater or eat raw chicken? Probably not."

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