What really happens when you swallow chewing gum?

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It probably happened to you as a child that you accidentally swallowed your chewing gum and were then convinced that it would be stuck in your stomach forever. But what really happens to the chewing gum?

It’s happened to all of us: We’re calmly eating a piece of chewing gum, and suddenly, because we get scared or simply by accident, we swallow it.

And you probably all remember the horror stories about chewing gum sticking in your stomach forever.

Rest assured, it’s nothing more than that. Like everything we eat and swallow, chewing gum that has accidentally found its way there does not stay in our stomach forever. And they don’t stick to the stomach wall, either.

What happens to chewing gum in the stomach?
If you accidentally swallow a piece of chewing gum, it goes through the digestive process like any other food: it travels from the oesophagus via the stomach to the large intestine and is finally excreted naturally a few days later.

Unlike other foods, chewing gum is of no interest to the body due to its texture and lack of nutrients. Gastric juices cannot harm chewing gum, and even good bacteria have no interest in it.

So, there’s a good chance you’ll find it more or less intact in your excrement. It is hardly surprising when you know that, in nature, it takes five years for chewing gum to break down. Nevertheless, swallowing chewing gum is not exactly good for your health.

A mistake you shouldn’t repeat
You don’t need to worry if you accidentally swallow a piece of gum. However, if you swallow several, it’s a different story.

As you learned above, chewing gum is virtually resistant to gastric juices and, therefore, risks sticking together and causing stomach pain.

The larger the lump, the more difficult it is to eliminate. In the worst case, this can even lead to constipation, so it should be avoided.

How high is the risk of choking?
The only real danger, however, is if you choke and the chewing gum ends up in your windpipe. Fortunately, this only happens very rarely, but you should be careful.
At least now you know that the story about chewing gum sticking to your stomach was just made up by your parents to stop you from eating too much. However, special care should be taken with nicotine gum, as it is actually poisonous for children.