Warning! This article may make you sick to your stomach.
Kids do it. Adults sitting at red lights who think they are behind invisible glass do it. Animals do it. And parents across the globe cringe in disgust or quickly shame their children when they see them picking their noses. In a world where more people are carrying around an arsenal of hand sanitizer, and germophobia is increasingly becoming a psychological problem, people picking their noses and eating it is still as prevalent as flatulence (and just as gross).
The question is: Is eating your boogers unhealthy, or is it just gross and considered bad manners? After all, the last thing you want to see when you’re with your child is the deep concentration that comes with booger mining, followed by the subsequent eating of that slimy, gross booger.
Why would a child who cannot stomach broccoli—even with cheese on it—choose to put a disgusting booger from their nasal passages into their mouth and swallow? That will forever remain a mystery.
Interestingly enough, some new research from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon seems to indicate that, albeit gross and rude, booger eating may not be as unhealthy as one might think.
Does Eating Boogers Actually Help Your Immune System?
First of all, if you look at the pathology behind immunizations, building the immune system is all about exposing it to certain antibodies. Infants are born with a plethora of antibodies that they receive from their mothers during pregnancy. Breastfed babies get even more. Immunizations introduce viruses and bacteria into the body in hopes that it will be able to fight off infections more effectively and strongly in the future. Kids starting school may be sick for a year or so, only to build up enough immunity to not catch every airborne illness floating around. It has been well known that one of the most damaging effects of children placed in NICUs after birth is that the environment is so sterile that the infants don’t build up their immune systems as quickly or strongly as babies who are exposed to germs right after birth. In fact, according to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, which has one of the largest NICU nurseries in the world, many infants there will go on to have allergy or asthma issues well into childhood.
That being said, when a child sticks their finger up their nose, pulls out mucus, and then reintroduces that mucus—germs and all—back into their body, they are, in a roundabout way, boosting their immune system. Certainly, there are many pathogens responsible for nearly every illness known to mankind that live in colonies in the nose. So when a child eats the mucousy remains from their nasal membranes, they are ingesting a host of germs. Not to mention the fact that the germs living on their fingers and fingernails (which they’re putting in their noses during picking) are only adding to what could be considered a germaphobe’s nightmare.
And yet, research suggests that this disgusting behavior may actually be a natural way for children (and sadly adults) to strengthen their immune systems. For one thing (and for those who don’t know), boogers are actually palatable. They have a sugary taste, which is the reason kids eat them in the first place. Sure, they don’t taste like Skittles, but they certainly don’t taste or smell like feces either. Some scientists believe that since mucus is palatable, perhaps nose-picking and eating boogers is just a natural way to stay healthy—no matter how disgusting.
This of course doesn’t mean that you should encourage the behavior to build your or your child’s immune system. However, the fact remains that the more bacteria and viruses our healthy bodies are exposed to, the easier it is for us to fight off infection if we come in contact with those pathogens at a later date. So for humans who are generally healthy, the whole booger-eating fiasco is probably not risky, nor is it responsible for actually catching a cold or virus. Plus, consider that the majority of illnesses common in children and adults are airborne and contracted by breathing air rather than ingesting boogers.
So the next time you see someone picking their nose and eating their boogers, instead of feeling nauseated, perhaps you should commend them on their innate sense to boost their immune system. That being said, you might want to encourage folks to take care of this in private and teach your children that if they must pick their nose (which, come on, admit it, is necessary at some point or another), they should do it in the bathroom!
