SC - gold leaf

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

Tibor says:>
>While that can happen via swallowing food or foreign objects (ie bowel
>perforations or bleeding ulcers), it is not terribly likely even in those
>that react to silver body jewelry.  In my non-medical opinion, of course.


Yep. Gold is inert. It will not be broken down by amylase (the enzymes in 
saliva), or the acides and enzymes in the digestive tract. The intact 
gold chunks will l move on through. The cells that transport foodstuffs 
across the wasll of the villii in the gut ignore that strange metal 
stuff that s in hunks to big for them to deal with anyway.

True allergies are an immunologic response by mast cells to foreign 
proteins, lipopolysachharides, etc. Even assuming gold COULD 
be absorbed through the gut, it is unlikely that one would 
mount an immune response against this inert metal.


- --Anne-Marie, an immunologist by day

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Anne-Marie Rousseau
rousseau at scn.org
Seattle, Washington
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