We’ve all experienced swallowing a piece of gum. Despite the size we’ve all done it. Whether we’re just too lazy to get up and throw it out or it is completely accidental, it happens. But why did my mom embed in my head that swallowing gum is so bad for me? She would always tell me that it would stay in my system for seven years. Never really put much thought into it because as a child, mother knows best.
When experts were asked their opinion on the question if gum actually stays in your system for seven years, they all said that it does not stay in your system. David Milov, a pediatric gastroenterologist, responded with, “I can tell you that with complete certainty,” when he was asked. I found this interesting because scientists rarely say that they are certain about anything. New information is constantly being discovered and we can never know for sure. When Rodger Liddle, another gastroenterologist, was asked this question he responded with, “nothing would reside that long, unless it was so large it couldn’t get out of the stomach or it was trapped in the intestine.” According to the article “Fact or Fiction?: Chewing Gum Takes Seven Years to Digest,” some of the ingredients are broken down but parts of the gum are simply indigestible. This does not mean that it stays in a person’s system for long periods of time. The gum still passes through a person’s system but is not broken down smaller than the size that it was first ingested as.
This study is a perfect example of a key feature of science, that there is an acceptance that strongly held beliefs might be wrong. Contrary to popular belief, gum does not stay in the digestive system for seven years. But this study makes me wonder if there are any negative effects of swallowing gum. As of right now, it appears that there is nothing wrong with swallowing gum.
Your point is definitely true if gum is not swallowed in large amounts. “Swallowing a large mass of gum, or many small pieces of gum over a short period of time, can block the digestive tract in rare cases” (KidsHealthOrg). Because gum is made up of preservatives and sweeteners, the body absorbs some of this. Another point is that the body cannot absorb gum resin. Gum resin is sent to the digestive tract by regular pushing of your stomach.
great article on something that we have been told our whole lives. I swallow my gum all the time and in the back of my head I always have that thought that it could be there for the next seven years. Glad I was able to clear that up! Although it doesn’t stay in your system I can’t imagine that it is good for you to swallow it. Did you come across anything that discussed other possible negative effects of swallowing gum? Would be interested to see, even if it doesn’t stay in your system, what gum does do to you.
My mom also told me the same thing! These interesting arguments that seem highly untrue are a really fascinating topic in science to me. This reminded me of other tales you would be told as a child. For example, if you cross your eyes that they’ll be stuck there and if you swallow a watermelon seed a whole watermelon will grow inside your stomach. Obviously these seem unrealistic, but someone must have had a reason to say them in the first place. Also, I really enjoyed your analyzing of whether the scientist could actually be 100% certain, because I would never normally second guess a statement like that.
Wow, my whole life I was truly convinced that if I swallowed my gum it would stay in my system for seven years. Why did I conclude this? Because I was naive young boy when I first heard this news! I honestly would have never known until you wrote this blog post. It’s a silly topic to write about, but honestly it benefited a lot of us with some new knowledge! Great post!
My mom used to tell me the same thing. I also felt there was always something shady about that theory. I just figured that it went down the same way everything else did, but I was unaware that some parts of gum were completely indigestible. I find that very interesting and have a similar curiosity as to why swallowing gum was always a forbidden action and the reasoning behind this.