Gold is completely edible and chemically inert inside the human body
Some trivia is so bizarre it forces you to rethink your entire understanding of the world. Check out the fact below, see how others reacted, and scroll down to dive into the verified science and history behind it.
Pure gold (24-carat) does not react with anything in the human body — it passes through the digestive system completely unchanged and exits entirely. It has no taste, no nutritional value, and causes no harm. This is why gold leaf is used in luxury food and drinks worldwide and carries a EU food additive designation (E175). Gold has been used as a food decoration since at least medieval times. The ancient Aztecs and some South Asian cultures used gold in ceremonial foods. Your body treats 24-carat gold exactly as it would treat a small piece of glass.
Gold's extreme monetary and cultural value makes it feel like something that should interact meaningfully with the body — either nourishing or toxic. Its complete biological inertness makes it simultaneously the most expensive and least useful thing you could eat.
The Science Behind It
Pure gold (24-carat) does not react with anything in the human body — it passes through the digestive system completely unchanged and exits entirely. It has no taste, no nutritional value, and causes no harm. This is why gold leaf is used in luxury food and drinks worldwide and carries a EU food additive designation (E175). Gold has been used as a food decoration since at least medieval times. The ancient Aztecs and some South Asian cultures used gold in ceremonial foods. Your body treats 24-carat gold exactly as it would treat a small piece of glass.
Why Your Brain Finds This Hard to Believe
Sources & Verification
OddlyHuman Editors
VerifiedWritten and fact-checked by the OddlyHuman Behavioral Science Team. We verify all psychological, sociological, and historical claims against peer-reviewed journals, primary sources, and established encyclopedias to bring you accurate insights.
Read our Editorial Guidelines →“Gold is completely edible and passes through your body unchanged. It's chemically inert, has no taste, and causes no harm. EU food additive E175. The most expensive thing you could eat with zero benefit. 🥇 #OddlyHuman”