Health. Nose picking: can it be dangerous for your health?

In a 1995 American study , 91% of adults admitted to picking their noses. And 1.2% of them even admitted to doing it once an hour!

Picking your nose is one thing; eating your boogers, or mucus-eating, is another. This is a disgusting practice, from the outside, yet one that many young children engage in. Can it be dangerous?

What are boogers made of?

Booger snot is mostly made up of mucus. This substance is naturally produced by the nose to protect the mucous membranes.

According to the Cleveland Clinic (USA), our bodies produce an average of 1.5 liters of mucus per day! It acts as a lubricant and a barrier against bacteria, viruses, and other irritants that may be lurking in our immediate environment.

Mucus also contains dust, pollen, and various germs. Cilia, present on the surface of the nasal mucosa, help drain these impurities from the respiratory tract.

Regarding the boogers more specifically, the mucus has dried, trapping all of these substances as it solidifies.

"Are there bacteria and other substances in boogers? Of course ," says GP Matthew Badgett. "But if these things are stuck in a booger, you can be sure they're also making their way to your throat and stomach. It's all linked." Once in the stomach, they'll be destroyed by stomach acid. "A pretty powerful defence mechanism." Boogers, and therefore mucophagia, would therefore be harmless.

Is nose picking so benign? According to a 2016 study , the practice is associated with an increased presence of Staphylococcus aureus in the nose. "Nose picking is associated with nasal carriage of S. aureus. It may even be the cause in some cases. Overcoming the habit of nose picking may facilitate S. aureus decolonization strategies."

Because S. aureus is present in the nose, it could also pass into the bloodstream if nasal lesions develop. The infection can be treated with antibiotics. However, a 2020 study notes, "increasing antibiotic resistance requires healthcare professionals to assess patients' nasal scraping habits and educate them on effective ways to prevent nasal scraping."

Another study from Griffith University (Australia), published in 2022, points to another danger. Nose picking could increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. How? Viruses and bacteria have apparently identified the olfactory nerve as an easy route to the brain.

"We are the first to demonstrate that Chlamydia pneumoniae can travel directly through the nose to the brain, where it can trigger pathologies similar to Alzheimer's disease," Professor St John explained in a press release . "We have observed this phenomenon in mice, and these results are potentially alarming for humans as well."

He then advised taking as much care as possible of the nasal mucosa and thus avoiding cleaning or waxing.

Stop these nasal practices

To avoid harmless but disgusting booger eating and potentially dangerous nose picking, the Cleveland Clinic offers the following advice:

• use a humidifier to prevent boogers;
• use a saline nasal solution to prevent mucus from drying;
• Keep tissues handy to remove boogers.

Nose picking can be associated with OCD (rhinotillexomania), and it's advisable to discuss it with a healthcare professional to limit this behavior through therapy. As for children, they usually eventually get bored of it. Or, "they may also stop when they get older and realize it's not something their friends do," notes Matthew Badgett.