There have been reports of YouTubers I watch getting sick after eating food in third world countries. However, these countries are also home to a large number of people who do not get sick from eating the same food. I think this suggests that the locals may have developed stronger immune systems. What do you think?

  • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Don’t tell anyone, but we third worlders convert bacteria into energy, neutralising them. That’s how we survive restaurant potato-mayo salad, and street hot dogs!*

    OK, I’m joking with the above. Serious now: if there’s any quantitative difference on the immunity system between people living in poorer conditions, related to food poisoning and similar, I’d expect it to be a smaller component. Instead what I expect the most is a qualitative difference, between people living in different areas: you’re more used to the strains of bacteria around your home, than the ones elsewhere, so when you’re travelling you have a higher chance to get some stupid food poisoning.

    If my reasoning is correct you should see something similar happening with travellers in general, even if they stick to places with a similar economic status as their homeland.

    *or street hot dogs with potato-mayo salad. Yes, they’re a thing in my city - that’s why we call those street hot dogs something loosely translatable as “big rotten”. (I once got food poisoning from one of those. It was not fun.)