EVER WONDER?
Is it bad to swallow gum? 🫧
Have you ever heard that swallowed gum stays in your stomach for 7 years? Here’s what really happens:
Does it really stay for 7 years? 📷
Nope! Doctors have used tiny cameras to look inside people’s bellies. When they do spot gum, it’s almost never more than a week old.
So where does it go? 🍿
Your body breaks down the sugar and flavor, just like food. 🍬
The gum base (the stretchy, rubbery part) can’t be digested. Your stomach acid and enzymes (tiny helpers that chop up food) can’t break it down. 🧪
So your gut just keeps moving it along, and it comes out in your poop a few days later. The same thing happens to other stuff your body can’t break down, like the outer skin of corn kernels! 💩
Does that mean it’s OK to swallow? 🗑️
Swallowing gum once in a while is harmless. But swallowing lots of gum can form a big, sticky clump in your belly that gets stuck. And lots of sugar-free gum can give you a stomach ache or the runs. So it’s still best to spit it in the trash!
If you’ve swallowed a lot of gum and can’t poop, tell a parent or talk to a doctor.