Does bubble gum stay in the gut for 7 years when swallowed?

Hyderabad: A post about an old myth about swallowing chewing gum is making rounds on social media.

The post read, “We’ve all heard it before: “Don’t swallow your gum! It’ll stay in your system for seven years!” Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but that statement is full of hot air.” (sic)

Everyone must have accidentally swallowed a piece of bubble gum. It can be scary to imagine that it might stay in your gut for seven years.

Fact check

NewsMeter found that the seven-year-long digestive journey of chewing gum doesn’t happen. The previous generations might have used this trick to stop their children from swallowing these gums.

According to Mayo Clinic, “Although chewing gum is designed to be chewed and not swallowed, it isn’t usually harmful if swallowed. Rumours suggest that swallowed gum sits in your stomach for seven years before it can be digested. But this isn’t true.

Although it is true that the body can’t digest gum, the gum doesn’t stay in your stomach. It moves relatively intact through your digestive system and is excreted in your stool.

Swallowing a gum can be alarming in situations where ‘large amounts of swallowed gum combined with constipation have blocked intestines in children.’ “Hence, children should be discouraged from swallowing chewing gum,” warned Mayo Clinic.

Moreover, “in rare cases, swallowing a large mass of gum, or many small pieces of gum over a short period of time, can block the digestive tract. Blockages are more likely to happen when the gum is swallowed along with other indigestible items’, stated Teens Health.

Apart from digestive issues, chewing gums also add empty calories.

According to Healthline, “Though entirely untrue, the myth has proven to be a fairly effective way to keep children — and some adults — from swallowing gum. How and where the ‘seven years’ myth originated is unknown. Most ingredients in chewing gum can be easily broken down by the digestive system. These include sweeteners, flavouring, preservatives, and softeners. It’s the gum base that’s indigestible.”

Lastly, if you have swallowed a gum and are experiencing constipation and abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting (in some cases), you might have an intestinal blockage. See your doctor before the condition worsens.