Chewing Gum Takes 7 Years To Digest?

[GommeInc]

I always buy orbit complete and eat all of the chewys (14) and tend to swallow them. It's like I put them in and when the taste starts to go I can't resist myself to swallow. Does anyone know how long it takes to digest because my mates where saying "it will stay in your body for 7 years" and one said "they don't get any further than your throat". So I would like to know the truth about them.

LOL, clearly it does. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to swallow anymore

It digests, it's impossible for gum to stay inside your stomach for 7 years, I'd imagine in that time you would be dead, the toxins from the gum being in a warm environment would cause some sort of reaction.

[Fehm]

http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/yucky/swallowed_gum.html

Yh Bbbz./

[J0SH]

Highly possible that as it's going down your throat it can get stuck as it's chewy and then you can choke, I don't tend to swallow chewing gum, it's for chewing not eating, yeah..

[Callum.]

wasn't that just an old mothers tale to make you not swallow gum lol

[J0SH]

wasn't that just an old mothers tale to make you not swallow gum lol

Na I think it can happen.

[Kaveri]

It's bad for you anyway, because your stomach thinks you're going to swallow and therefore produces more Hydrochloric Acid which has to go somewhere and therefore kind of 'decomposes' your stomach lining because it's not used to break down what's coming down (which is nothing).

[5,5]

i heard 7 years back in grade school.
idk if its true though

[e5]

Correct. 7 years.

[Mint]

Mixed answers.

[GommeInc]

Your throat is lined with saliva, the chewier/stickier the material, the easier it goes down your throat. If it was dry, like chips or bread for example, then it will stick to the side of your throat because the bread/chips will soak up the saliva and naturally dry out that area of the throat and stick.

A test could be chewing some gum, taking it out your mouth, sticking your tongue out, tilting your head forward and place the gum on your tongue. In theory it won't stick, it will just slip off and hit the floor and cause the cleaners endless misery But that's unless you've dried out your tongue, which might be difficult unless your gross enough to use a towel

Highly possible that as it's going down your throat it can get stuck as it's chewy and then you can choke, I don't tend to swallow chewing gum, it's for chewing not eating, yeah..

Mixed answers.

Notice how the ones saying it is true don't back it up with evidence. Unless they are saying it takes 7 years to digest, but not inside a body, but inside a lab somewhere, then they maybe correct. Swallowing gum will not take 7 years to come out, it'll pass through your body like any other food with the possibility of it coming out slower, even though I am sure it's false, and gum does digest like normal food (maybe longer), but that depends on the type of gum.