Boogers. Mucus. Greeners. Phlegm… Caught your attention (or made you pass on that second helping of potato bake) yet?
What was once a taboo-type of word – at least when talking about putting said-taboo word into your mouth and swallowing it – is now shuffling its way into the very intellectual conversations of… environmental microbiologists (?!).
Apparently that gooey nose gunk we tell every man, dog and child with a runny nose to steer clear of is actually good for you.
And that’s not just because fluids like snot and tears serve as our body’s first line of defense against a range of diseases, but snot, in particular, is beneficial for your – wait for it – dental health.
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^ Every mum in Australia right now.
According to a medical study published in Applied And Environmental Microbiology, salivary mucins (proteins found in mucus) work to protect teeth from a cavity-causing bacteria.
Differentiating from things like toothpaste and mouth wash that, as reported by Ozy.com, kill bacteria, mucus, in fact, stops bacteria from attaching itself to a tooth, as well as preventing the bacteria from leaking acid onto a tooth’s enamel.
The positive health benefits of mucus for oral health has also prompted these researchers to begin working on a synthetic mucus, with the idea that it could be combined with toothpaste or chewing gum.
We never thought our rational thinking would lead us to even consider digesting snot as a means of bettering our health.
But if science says so…
