# Does meat just rot in our stomachs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650 "2006-12-18T16:55:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sharvey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sharvey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharvey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/1 "2006-12-18T16:55:29Z")
I heard that humans can’t actually digest meat, so it just rots in our stomachs for a couple of days until it is small enough to pass through the intestines…is that true? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/2 "2006-12-18T16:56:01Z")
Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/3 "2006-12-18T16:56:29Z")
Nope. It’s bubble gum that we can’t digest. And corn. And very small rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/4 "2006-12-18T16:58:59Z")
Sounds like PETA propaganda. It’s completely false. Our digestive system is well-designed to handle meat, and most of us can digest it just fine. Actually, meat is easier to digest than tougher plant material, which is why carnivores typically have shorter intestines than herbivores. We are omnivores, and the length of our intestines is between that of the strict carnivore and the strict herbivore. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/5 "2006-12-18T16:59:12Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] Nope. It’s bubble gum that we can’t digest. And corn. And very small rocks. [/QUOTE] The big rocks digest quite easily, especially when mixed with spider eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/6 "2006-12-18T17:07:08Z")
[QUOTE=sharvey] …rots in our stomachs for a couple of days… [/QUOTE] Rotting implies bacteria or mold, neither of which do well in the strong acid found in your stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/7 "2006-12-18T17:09:01Z")
That’s pretty much the exact opposite of the truth. Not much is easier to digest than meat. If we couldn’t digest meat, we wouldn’t get any energy from it either. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/8 "2006-12-18T17:12:36Z")
I’ll wager that this gem of information came from a militant vegetarian. And, ironically enough, it appears to be 100% bovine in origin. Proteases such as [trypsin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypsin) and [pepsin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsin) do a very good job of digesting animal protein. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/9 "2006-12-18T17:14:28Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] And very small rocks. [/QUOTE] I digest salt pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/10 "2006-12-18T17:52:11Z")
Well in a way it does rot, if you define rot as being broken down by biological action. When we usually think of something rotting what actually happens is microbes release enzymes to break down the food into simple components which they can absorb. This is what happens with us too, we release enzymes to break down the meat, so we can absorb the nutrients. If you were to remove this partially digested meat and place it on the table, you would think it was rotted. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/11 "2006-12-18T18:20:12Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] If you were to remove this partially digested meat and place it on the table, you would think it was rotted. [/QUOTE] And _just_ as I was getting ready to eat lunch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/12 "2006-12-18T18:24:26Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] I digest salt pretty well. [/QUOTE] You just _think_ you do. The reality is that it sits in your colon forever and ever. At least, that’s what my PETA girlfriend told me. Damn, I’d like a steak. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/13 "2006-12-18T18:28:24Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] Well in a way it does rot, if you define rot as being broken down by biological action. When we usually think of something rotting what actually happens is microbes release enzymes to break down the food into simple components which they can absorb. This is what happens with us too, we release enzymes to break down the meat, so we can absorb the nutrients. If you were to remove this partially digested meat and place it on the table, you would think it was rotted. [/QUOTE] Which, of course, is exactly the same way we digest **plants.** In short, digestion = rotting for a broad definition of the latter. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/14 "2006-12-18T18:49:09Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Which, of course, is exactly the same way we digest plants. In short, digestion = rotting for a broad definition of the latter. [/QUOTE] True enough, but a minor nitpick, some of what we eat is not directly broken down by us, but partially digested (rotted) by microbes in the digestive tract, then we get the nutrients in this partially digested (rotted) food. IIRC plants are far more likely to be pre-digested (pre-rotted) by microbes in our digestive tract then meats, and the reason for the longer digestive tract of herbivores, the microbes need to have time to work then the animal has to further break down the food and absorb it. So, again if my memory is serving me, if anything plants are what rots by the action of microbes inside our gut, meat is directly broken down by us, which arguably could also be considered rotted. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/15 "2006-12-18T19:22:08Z")
[QUOTE=sharvey] I heard that humans can’t actually digest meat, so it just rots in our stomachs for a couple of days until it is small enough to pass through the intestines…is that true? [/QUOTE] Welcome to the Straight Dope **sharvey**. Enjoy the stay. As all have said, this is not true. Could you please tell us where you heard this statement? Jim ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/16 "2006-12-18T20:02:01Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Welcome to the Straight Dope **sharvey**. Enjoy the stay. As all have said, this is not true. Could you please tell us where you heard this statement? Jim [/QUOTE] Yes, we’re all quite curious. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/17 "2006-12-18T20:26:29Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster] The big rocks digest quite easily, especially when mixed with spider eggs. [/QUOTE] But do the spider eggs know they are being digested? Would it make any difference if they did? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/18 "2006-12-18T22:58:50Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] digestion = rotting for a broad definition of the latter. [/QUOTE] My Google skills may be weak, but I’ll note that it seems challenging to find much in the way of discussions of rotting that extend to include digestion. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/19 "2006-12-18T23:04:38Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] Nope. It’s bubble gum that we can’t digest. And corn. And very small rocks. [/QUOTE] And churches ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-meat-just-rot-in-our-stomachs/384650/20 "2006-12-18T23:12:51Z")
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