You may have been told by your parents not to swallow chewing gum. You are expected to chew the gum and spit it after some time. But is the idea that chewing gum takes seven years to digest true? Does it have any basis in medical science?
What happens to the gum that’s swallowed? Some of the components, such as sweeteners, are broken down, but the gum’s base is largely indigestible. The base is usually composed of a number of natural or synthetic elastomers – rubber-like materials as well as plasticizing softeners, resins, preservatives and antioxidants. Yes, the base is hard to get broken down, but it does not mean the gum stays in your gut for seven years. It will pass through your digestive system slower than other food particles, and will eventually get ejected out. It will definitely not stay there for seven years.
But if you start swallowing chewing gum regularly, it will get accumulated in your digestive tract. This will cause trouble in due course. Even then symptoms such as constipation will signal that there is something wrong and the accumulated mass can be removed.
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