It is one of the disgusting habits parents try in vain to stop their children from doing in public.

这可能是最恶心的一个习惯了，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是有好处的。

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.'

来自加拿大萨斯喀彻温大学的生物化学教授斯科特·纳珀表示：“人类的天性会让我们做不同的事情，因为某些行为、吃某些食物会对我们有好处。”

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，那就遵从你的天性吧！

'From an evolutionary¹ perspective, we evolved under very dirty conditions and maybe this desire to keep our environment and our behaviours sterile² isn't actually working to our advantage.'

“从进化论的角度来看，我们是在非常肮脏的环境下进化的，而现在人类这种想要把周围环境和行为都变得一尘不染的做法对人体可能不利。”

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 synthetic³ 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，在牙膏中加入合成的鼻腔粘液，可以用来防止蛀牙。

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.

奥地利肺部专家弗里德里克·毕辛格教授也持同样看法，他表示，那些挖鼻孔的人更健康、更开心、身体也更好。