Formal and Informal Research
Getting at the Truth
In our interviews for this project, we heard many explanations about what happens to gum when it is swallowed. Of course, some told us the old adage that the gum would stay inside the body for seven years. Some people believed that the gum would stick to the insides of the body. A few others believed that gum would go through the same digestive process as any other food. So, what is the truth? What DOES happen to gum if we swallow it?
According to Dr. Nancy McGreal, a gastroenterologist from Duke University, the gum base in a piece of chewing gum or bubble gum is insoluble. That is, our bodies do not produce the digestive enzymes necessary to break down this gum base. However, that does not mean that the gum will stay in our bodies forever. The gum will pass through the stomach and intestines along with the other food and will be eliminated without being broken down any further.
Pediatric gastroenterologist David Milov agrees with the above information. Gum is made up of four basic categories of ingredients: flavorings, softeners, sweeteners, and the gum base. Our bodies easily digest all but the gum base. This gum base travels through the digestive system just as other waste products do.
It is worth noting that there have been cases in which it has been necessary to remove gum from the stomach or intestines of a few patients. However, these are rare exceptions in which some other problem was discovered. For example, Milov's article in the Pediatrics journal in 1998 recounts the case of a 4 1/2 year old boy who was a chronic gum swallower. A "taffy-like" mass was discovered which required extraction. Another case involved a child who also chronically swallowed inedible items as well as gum. Coins had become embedded in a wad of gum in the child's intestines and needed to be surgically removed. Isolated incidences like these are believed to have contributed to the misconceptions that people have about what happens to gum if it is swallowed.
Again, these are exceptions and people who occasionally swallow a piece of gum, either intentionally or accidentally, will see no harmful effects.
According to Dr. Nancy McGreal, a gastroenterologist from Duke University, the gum base in a piece of chewing gum or bubble gum is insoluble. That is, our bodies do not produce the digestive enzymes necessary to break down this gum base. However, that does not mean that the gum will stay in our bodies forever. The gum will pass through the stomach and intestines along with the other food and will be eliminated without being broken down any further.
Pediatric gastroenterologist David Milov agrees with the above information. Gum is made up of four basic categories of ingredients: flavorings, softeners, sweeteners, and the gum base. Our bodies easily digest all but the gum base. This gum base travels through the digestive system just as other waste products do.
It is worth noting that there have been cases in which it has been necessary to remove gum from the stomach or intestines of a few patients. However, these are rare exceptions in which some other problem was discovered. For example, Milov's article in the Pediatrics journal in 1998 recounts the case of a 4 1/2 year old boy who was a chronic gum swallower. A "taffy-like" mass was discovered which required extraction. Another case involved a child who also chronically swallowed inedible items as well as gum. Coins had become embedded in a wad of gum in the child's intestines and needed to be surgically removed. Isolated incidences like these are believed to have contributed to the misconceptions that people have about what happens to gum if it is swallowed.
Again, these are exceptions and people who occasionally swallow a piece of gum, either intentionally or accidentally, will see no harmful effects.