does snot have calories?

[superjedi]

i've had a cold for a week. the past several days my nose has been stuffy as heck. it's not always convenient to drop everything i'm doing to find a kleenex and blow.

i swallowing my snot bad? or is it pretty much the same as swallowing spit/saliva?

[justaguy87337]

are u serious!!

[superjedi]

yes.

is that a no, or are you not sure?

[FitnessPhotos]

Try Google; I'm not sure anyone here would know that information off-hand.

[justaguy87337]

well common sense tells me that snot is the infection you're body is trying to get rid of, so by swallowing it, you are reabsorbing that infection back into your body. I don't don't know about calories, but that alone is enough for me not to ingest my phlem.

[painless2]

Snot is not infection but rather the body's reaction to a virus or bacteria by the mucosal membranes. It's inert and would have calories, though I have no idea how many and I doubt you'll find a lot of research showing it.

[superjedi]

Originally Posted by FitnessPhotos

Try Google; I'm not sure anyone here would know that information off-hand.

i did. and as painless said, there seems to be little research on the subject.

[cracken]

You thought it through enough to write that post.

Think it through a little more & put some tissues in your pocket.

[superjedi]

okay then, TO SATISFY MY OWN CURIOUSITY, does anyone have an answer to this question? sheesh.

[FitnessPhotos]

Apparently not....

But maybe it's a test you could get a local university to look into....

[superjedi]

that'd be awesome. get a grant to study snot. :]

[tellico]

well, snot is made of mucous, water, pus (WBC's), cellular debris from the sinus and nasal cavities and dead bacteria and viral particles, and particles of stuff that you inhale but doesn't make it all the way to your lungs.

So: cells and of course cellular debris are made of protein (amino acids) and contain trace carbohydrates (glucose- the fuel cells use to function). Protein and glucose obviously can be broken down, so -> calories
Mucous- probably not going to be absorbed by the digestive tract -> no calories
water-> no calories
particles of stuff from environment-> mostly dust, molds, etc. Alot of this will have protein/carb content (molds, mildews, spores (more carbs than other cells), pollen (more carbs than other cells), bacteria, etc.) and alot won't (dust, dirt, ash)

So there you have it. There is protein and trace carbohydrates, and therefore calories, in snot. Probably any bugs that are terrorizing your sinuses will be killed by the acid in your stomach once you swallow it. But the mucous and pus can make you feel bad/nauseous, so I don't recommend swallowing that mess. But swallowing is better than snorting it back up, I guess and at least gets it out of your nasal passages.

How many calories? who knows? I would guess less than half a stick of chewing gum, but that is a pure guess.

FWIW, without any medical/scientific facts to back the following up, I have found that I get rid of colds etc. faster if I am diligent about blowing my nose alot rather than sniffing, etc. More somewhat non-scientific advice: drinking lots more water than you think you need (to allow you to keep that mucocilliary elevator working well to clear out your resp tract), drinking OJ, taking zinc lozenges, keeping your neck covered, eating only when you're hungry while you're sick, and sleeping lots will help you get better faster and stay healthy.

Feel better soon!

[Doughboy]

Originally Posted by superjedi

Does snot have calories?

How much you eat everyday?

[Adonis]

Yes it would have calories, along with dust, mites, other small interesting creatures, some hairs, and anything else you may ahve inhaled since your last sneeze.

It is not a good idea to swallow it because you too lazy to get a tissue. It could lengthen the duration of the infection/virus. It could allow a new virus/infection to enter your system. It can cause vomiting in extreme situations.

But most importantly, it's gross. No one wantes to hear you snuffing snot out of your nose. get some kleenex.

[Gman1524]

A truly entertaining thread.

[Insex]

I agree. What a tasteful subject we're discussing here.

When I was a kid, my doctor always told me to never sollow my snot. So I just took her word for it, and never bothered to ask her why. Although, I think the reason why you should not sollow snot has to do with creating inflammation in the throat. Ever notice how your throat gets all scratchy and sore after sollowing buckets of snot?

[SaudeKeep]

ive heard that the mucous cant completely break down and so it ends up coming back up the passage making it thinner and harder to get rid of the second time around. although, it could be complete b.s. as ive never seen any real evidence or asked a professional.

[PythonPower]

first of all you are sick! LOL. with that being said, snot is a combination of body mucus and dirt particles etc from the air. your nose is designed to capture that ...kind of like a filteration system to prevent for crap getting to your lungs. now if you eat snot, its like removing the filter and eating the crap it collected. think of it like a air filter for your room or a house. you run it for a week or two. then remove the filter and start licking the filter off. that is essentiall what you are doing.