It is a classic playground scare story - if you swallow chewing gum it will stay in your digestive system for seven years.But according to scientists at the American Chemical Society, the tale is myth as chewing gum is no more harmful than the rest of the food that passes through our digestive system.It says while gum is harder to digest, it tends to pass harmlessly through our guts much like other foods.
By examining how regular foods are processed through our bodies, a video from The American Chemical Society reveals what really happens when you swallow chewing gum.When we eat something - whether it be normal foods or chewing gum - it goes through three main phases in our bodies.The first of these phases is the 'mechanical' phase (otherwise known as chewing).As the Reactions video explains, with normal foods 'your teeth and tongue work together to crush the food you eat into tiny bits.'Munching your food then triggers muscle movements which move the food through your digestive tract down to your stomach, where muscles 'churn your chewed up food with digestive juices.'
The second phase involves enzymes - biological catalysts which speed up chemical reactions - which are found in your saliva, stomach juices and intestines.Enzymes 'kick start' the reactions to break down the food into its constituent parts, whether they are fats from foods such as cheese, carbohydrates from food such as pasta, or proteins from meat or nuts.These constituent parts are the nutrients your body can use.Stomach acid, which is made up of hydrochloric acid and salts, leads the third phase of digestion.The video explains 'this harsh brew dissolves chewed food into a slurry so your intestines can handle it'.After this point, whatever remains goes straight down the toilet.
How does your body process chewing gum?As you'll have probably noticed, the main difference when processing chewing gum is the fact that during the 'mechanical phase' you don't crush the chewing gum down into tiny bits - that would somewhat defeat the purpose of chewing gum.Instead, if you swallow the gum, it will go down in one big wad before it enters phase two - the enzyme phase.
Most of the molecules in gum are carbohydrates, oils and alcohols. As with any other food, on their own these molecules are easily broken down.However, the video explains 'your body doesn't have an enzyme for the rubber polymers, regardless of whether they're natural or synthetic' so the gum passes through to Phase three. While stomach acid is strong, it still can't dissolve the rubber polymers in the chewing gum.In fact, the video explains 'rubbers are very good at shielding from acids in general - that's one reason we wear rubber gloves for protection.'So, while part of your gum does survive digestion, it does not remain in your stomach for seven years.
The video concludes 'even though you don't break down the rubber polymers, your body has no problem moving that lump of gum through your digestive system and out the other end within a day or two.'