It may sound absurd, but picking your nose and eating your findings could lead to a strengthened immune system, according to a theory by a University of Saskatchewan (U of S) professor.
Scott Napper, a U of S biochemistry professor, said the basis of his theory is that picking your nose and eating the mucus could create a smarter immune system because it would expose the body to germs with which it is surrounded.
“The idea is that there is a second defensive function to the particles in mucus within the nose,” Napper said.
The theory came about while he was giving a lecture to his students about the types of molecules in mucus, Napper said.
While discussing the sweet taste of sugar molecules that make up mucus, Napper said he made an offhand remark in an effort to keep his students engaged, commenting that this property exists in mucus molecules because it was meant to be consumed.
While the theory may seem ridiculous at first, Napper said it has led to a legitimate discussion surrounding the health benefits of consuming one’s findings after picking their nose.
“The idea has caught on because it’s not so crazy,” he said.
Napper said he plans to conduct a study to test his theory this summer, and expects the results to be available in the fall.
The makeup of the experiment would involve forming two groups of twenty subjects from a sample of adults, with the youngest subjects being university students.
One group will be required to pick their noses and eat their findings, while the other group will refrain from doing so.
Napper said hundreds have already volunteered to take part in the experiment.
Earl Brown, executive director of the Emerging Pathogens Research Centre at the University of Ottawa, said that although the concept is interesting, there are already many other ways mucus is transferred and ingested.
“I think it could be proven, but it would be hard to measure,” Brown said of Napper’s theory.
“There are a whole bunch of questions and problems with it,” he said. “Nose picking may be good for yourself, but there is a greater burden to hand wash to prevent the spread of disease.”
Steve Simard, a father of a three-year-old son, said he was not surprised by Napper’s hypothesis, noting his reaction to the theory was simply “amusement.”
Simard said that like all children, his son sometimes picks his nose.
“While my wife would run for a Kleenex, I would just shrug and say ‘it happens,’” he said.
