Pretty much the title.
If the stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve food, why can’t it kill dangerous germs that cause all sorts of different diseases?
In: Biology
Well first, stomach acid can kill many germs but not all of them. Second, in some cases of food-borne illness, it’s not the germs themselves that make you sick but toxins created by the germs, and stomach acid doesn’t do anything to those toxins. This is why can’t eat spoiled food even if it’s cooked. Yes, cooking may kill the germs, but it still leaves the toxins that make you sick.
Not all bacteria go down to the stomach, some stay in your mouth.
Bacteria can also produce toxins on the food while it spoils, even if the stomach acid kills the bacteria, the toxins can still poison you.
Also some bacteria are just acid resistant.
Latest Answers