# Does booger eating strengthen the immune system? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278 "2009-04-16T11:57:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278/1 "2009-04-16T11:57:39Z")
I’ve been hearing rumors that this is true, but want to know more… What are the pros and cons of booger eating, besides it being socially unacceptable? ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278/2 "2009-04-16T14:33:50Z")
You’d get the similar benefits (if there are any) through mouth breathing, and it’d be easier. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278/3 "2009-04-16T15:30:44Z")
Pros: Ingestion of more antigens, thereby giving one’s immune system more opportunity to develop more types of antibodies. (This one is largely theoretical, as far as I can tell there is no good evidence that demonstrates this actually occurs when one does ingest more of their own (or others) dried nasal secretions.) Cons: Ingestion of more material into your body that your body is passively trying to keep out in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278/4 "2009-04-16T15:48:54Z")
Con: Gagging and having to run to the bathroom to spit up. Causing others to gag and have to spit up. Possibly having to clean up a mess from people vomiting at really gross behavior. I’m gagging just thinking about it. Even as a kid, I never understood why anybody would eat their own boogers. I get picking your nose. Sometimes you gotta clean the pipes and blowing your nose just doesn’t do the trick. Eating it? eeew ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278/5 "2009-04-16T15:56:21Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Pros: Ingestion of more antigens, thereby giving one’s immune system more opportunity to develop more types of antibodies. Would your body actually absorb any antigens from this? Wouldn’t anything worthwhile in the mucus be destroyed by the acidity of the stomach acid and the activity of the Pepsin enzyme? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278/6 "2009-04-16T16:30:58Z")
> [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](#): > > Would your body actually absorb any antigens from this? Wouldn’t anything worthwhile in the mucus be destroyed by the acidity of the stomach acid and the activity of the Pepsin enzyme? Not necessarily. Lots of ingested antigens cause systemic allergic reactions. Penicillin, for one. Peanuts for another. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-booger-eating-strengthen-the-immune-system/493278/7 "2009-04-16T23:09:11Z")
Anitgen-presenting cells only display a few amino acids on their surface anyway, so if anything, digestion speeds up the process. Don’t know why I’m bothering today…