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- Hi there.
I'm Lauren and this is Brain Stuff.
And our question for the day is
"Why shouldn't you give honey to babies?"
And it's not because bees and babies
have some kind of ancient grudge match.
Probably.
No, it's because of botulism.
Now, botulism is a condition.
It's a poisoning by the
neurotoxin botulinum.
It's named after these
bacteria, clostridium botulinum,
that produce this neurotoxin
just as a byproduct of existing.
Now, when it gets in the human body
this toxin attaches to nerve endings
that stimulate muscles and it blocks them,
preventing them from doing their jobs.
This leads to a feeling of weakness
and in severe cases can
cause immobilization
or even death from respiratory paralysis.
It's a less cartoony version
of the Joker's laughing toxin.
These bacteria are pretty common,
but lucky for us they're killed by oxygen.
And as I've mention before on this show,
there's a good amount of
free-range oxygen in our air.
Unfortunately, they've
adapted to form spores
around themselves that
lie dormant until they
find themselves back in an
oxygen-free environment.
Now, when adults get botulism
it's usually from improperly canned food.
During the canning process,
if the food is heated properly,
it'll destroy the spores.
But if it's heated improperly,
the bacteria can activate
once the can has been sealed.
Creating that oxygen-free
environment that they grow in.
That's why you shouldn't
eat food from bloated cans.
The bloat comes from
rapid bacterial growth
that creates a lot of toxin in the food.
Side note, dented cans are totally fine.
Okay, so we all know that babies
are completely incompetent
at operating can openers.
The thing is, that honey
frequently contains
a few spores of clostridium botulinum.
Bees accidentally pick them up
while they're out collecting nectar.
Now, adults with
functioning immune systems
and established intestinal flora,
that's the helpful gut bacteria,
can handle a couple of spores.
But babies can't.
So, when the botulinum gets into
the oxygen-free intestines of the baby
they can activate and poison the baby.
This is all scary.
Botulism is one of the
most toxic compounds
known to humankind.
It can kill on the magnitude of nanograms.
That's a millionth of a gram.
That's really tiny.
But it can also be used
as a medical treatment.
When it's diluted, doctors
can inject it in patients
who have overactive muscle disorders
that affect their mobility
or their eyesight.
And have you heard of Botox?
That's carefully controlled
botulism in your face.
(liquid squishing)
So, that should just about
wrap up this question.
But if you have any other questions
that you'd like us to answer in the future
just leave a comment below.
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And we'll talk to you again really soon.
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