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sharplydressedman t1_iujzkmj wrote

Well, yes and no - this will require a bit of a deeper dive into immunology. Our immune system has two general branches, the adaptive (slower but can "learn") and innate (quick but limited to pre-determined common patterns). There isn't a "red list" per se for the innate immune system since it is evolutionarily more efficient for our innate immune cells to have the receptors for the definitely dangerous patterns, and let the adaptive immune system "learn" which patterns are safe.

As a metaphor for the innate immune system, the TSA displays a list of things that are definitely banned on planes. They may not need to have a list of things that are "definitely safe", they can figure that out along the way.

Anyway to return to your question, the adaptive immune system DOES have the ability to identify molecules that are safe. "Mucosal tolerance" refers to the ability of the body to suppress immune responses against antigens that are encountered in the gastrointestinal tract. This is not only to protect the commensal bacteria that live in our intestines, but also prevents our immune system from flaring up against the molecules in our food.

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