I remember being on the elementary school playground when I swallowed my gum because I didn’t see any garbage around me. The kid sitting next to me told me that I am going to get very sick because I did that. Being that I was an overly sensitive kid, I went to the bathroom and cried. When I got home that day I asked my mom what would happen if i swallowed my gum. She didn’t say I would get very sick but she did say that she heard it stays in your stomach for 7 whole years. I think it i finally time to look into this rumor and see if gum really does stick around with you for 7 years.
According to an article featured on the Mayo Clinic website called ” Swallowing gum: Is it harmful?” gum is not designed to be swallowed but if you do it, theres no really big deal. The only era concern is if someone swallows a huge wad of gum. A big piece has the potential to get stuck in an intestine and deter the intestine from working properly. The article also said that gum doesn’t stay in your system for 7 years but it is not digested either. Like corn, humans have a tough time digesting gum therefore, it comes out in your stool but how do I know that this is the truth? How can I prove that gum doesn’t sit in your stomach for years? In order to test this hypothesis, scientist can conduct an observational procedure. This experiment will have a group of people, all ages who will swallow different types and sizes of gum. Their excrement will be observed and scientists will be able to identify if the gum left their system. If they find the gum, the evidence will correlate with the the hypothesis stating that gum doesn’t stay in your body for 7 years. Although there are other variables and chance that play a factor in this procedure, this experiment should still be decently accurate. Some of the third variable that can skew the results in this experiment are the weakness of the stomach of a specific person, how much they have eaten recently and what they have eaten recently. These are not the only third variables but they are some of the most obvious ones.
So remember, next time you are chewing a piece of gum and can’t find the garbage, don’t swallow it, your digestive system doesn’t want it either!
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/faq-20058446
This is a post that everyone can relate to because I think everyone was told this as a child. I think you’re correct and the only way to completely disprove this theory is if an experiment is constructed; however, you’ll have to be careful of the numerous third variables that will come into play.
If swallowing gum can be harmful to people, is it ethical to have people swallow various sizes to track what size gum is harmful and not? Also, another thing to consider in your proposed experiment is if different brands and flavors of gum have different effects on people if they swallow them. Also third variables could include how much liquid and food a person consumers daily and how healthy he or she is.