It is one of the disgusting habits parents try in vain to stop their children from doing in public.
挖鼻孔可能是最恶心的习惯之一了，许多父母都试图阻止自己的孩子在公共场合这样做，但是最终却徒劳无功。
But it may be the wrong reaction to tell a child off for picking their nose and – horror of horrors – eating it.
但是他们可能不应该阻止孩子们挖鼻屎——甚至是吃掉它们！
Experts now insist that, in fact, this unsavoury practice is good for your teeth and overall health.
事实上专家们现在坚持认为，这种令人厌恶的做法对人的牙齿和整体健康状况有好处。
They believe that the bacteria collected in the nose could improve the body’s immune system if eaten.
他们认为，如果吃掉鼻屎的话，鼻子中收集的细菌对人体免疫系统有好处。
Dr Scott Napper, professor of biochemistry at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, said: ‘Nature pushes us to do different things because it is to our advantage to have certain behaviours, to consume different types of foods.
So maybe when you have an urge to pick your nose and eat it, you should just go with nature.
所以当你有一种冲动想要挖鼻孔，然后吃掉的话，遵从你的天性吧！
‘From an evolutionary perspective, we evolved under very dirty conditions and maybe this desire to keep our environment and our behaviours sterile isn’t actually working to our advantage.’
Another study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggested mucus could help to prevent infections by keeping bad bacteria in check.
而麻省理工的另一项研究表明，鼻腔里的粘液可以预防细菌感染。
The researchers believed synthetic mucus, in the form of toothpaste for example, could be used to stop people getting cavities in their teeth.
研究人员认为可以在牙膏中加入合成的鼻腔粘液，从而用防止蛀牙。
Austrian lung specialist Professor Friedrich Bischinger, speaking on the same topic, said research showed people who picked their noses were healthier, happier and better in tune with their bodies.’
