This news may be unappetizing: If you think those latex gloves worn by food handlers in eateries safeguards you from bacteria, think again. Gloves can transmit bacteria and other disease-causing organisms into foods you eat, according to research published in Journal of Food Protection and reported on Discovery News.

For the study, six researchers analyzed previous food safety studies from as long ago as the 1930s. What scientists found is that gloved hands can contribute the same or more bacteria than naked hands to your food.

Uh-oh. Really? Well, research findings showed gloved food workers took more risks. Scientists noted that unlike ungloved food handlers, they were less likely to wash their hands after coughing, eating, using hand tisses and touching cell phones and their bodies.

What’s more, the riskiest behavior was workers not removing their gloves and washing their hands as often as they should. Bacteria quickly multiply on the hand after more than two hours of wearing gloves. In addition, workers’ rings, watches and long nails can tear minuscule holes in the gloves, which ups the contamination risks.

To avoid these hazards, researchers recommend that food handlers not rely on gloves alone to meet hygiene standards and that they also practice the best defense against food contamination—frequent hand washing.

And if you’re now just too leery to eat out, RH suggests cooking your own food.

Click here to learn how to avoid food-borne disease from your favorite party dips.