Insects Are Not Only Healthy But Easily Digestible Says Research

A recent study conducted by the Rutgers University insects are digestible by humans. The study said that our primate ancestors’ food choice is still consumed and is easily digested by the system.

Digestion Of Insects By Humans

“For a long time the prevailing wisdom was that mammals didn’t produce an enzyme that could break down the exoskeletons of insects, so they were considered to be very difficult to digest,” said Mareike Janiak, lead author of the study published recently in Molecular Biology and Evolution told Rutgers Today. “We now know from research on bats and mice, and now my research on primates, that this isn’t true.”

The scientists looked for copies of CHIA gene which is an enzyme found in the human stomach and breaks down the outer covering of an insect. “As some primates evolved to be larger and more active during the day than at night, their diets shifted a bit to other foods like fruits and leaves,” Janiak said. “Insects became less important and their digestive enzymes changed, but most living primates still have at least one working CHIA gene.”