Why does spit/saliva work well as lube whereas water does not?

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ELI18 I guess

In: Biology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s all about the enzymes: amino acid protein chains.

Your spit is loaded with such enzymes, because spit is designed to help lubricate your food, so that your food slides down your esophagus more easily.

Where-as regular tap water does NOT contain all those enzymes.

(At least it shouldn’t! If it does–definitely don’t drink that water!)

Anonymous 0 Comments

Spit contains tons of little protein chains! It’s just like egg white, ejaculate, or mucus (well, it is mucus, watered down). It’s why the egg white or the snot can stretch so far before the strands snap.

So, those chains have a sort of tensile strength, but they’re slippery against one another, and that allows them to lubricate.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Also your saliva can digest your outer lip. Make sure not to lick your lips most of the time or end up digesting your lips