How long does it take to digest gum

It Is Called a Chewing Gum for a Reason

Many of us enjoy chewing gums andcannot live without them. Also, many know that these are not to beswallowed and that they are called chewing gums because they are tobe chewed and thrown away once the flavor has disappeared. However,sometimes, we may swallow our gum accidentally. There are the numeroustheories people have regarding this situation. Namely, some claimthat, once swallowed, the chewing gum is digested for the following 7or more years before getting expelled from our organism. Others claimthat the swallowed chewing gum stays in our organism forever since weare unable to digest it at all. Now, all these claims have some truthbehind them, although none of them are completely true. Therefore,read in in order to find out the answer to this mystery and know whatto think about once you realized your gum has gone the wrong way.

Is Chewing Gum Digestible?

No, it is not. All the elements whichget released from the chewing gum once we chew it are completelydigestible. However, the very gummy base of it is not. This is due tothe fact that it was created by numerous artificial additives andchemicals, making it impossible to be degraded during the digestionprocess. Rather, it is considered waste by our organism and isdirectly expelled through our colon and, eventually anus. Thus, itdoes not stay in our organism forever, making the claims from aboveabsolutely false.

How Long is Gum Kept in Our Organism?

Even though the swallowed gum is boundto travel through our system, it is not digested and therefore notkept in for longer than necessary. So, once the whole digestiveprocess has been performed upon the food we ate beforehand, feces areexpelled two days after that food has been eaten. The same goes forbubble gum, without the digestion part. Once expelled, the gum is inits original shape, not altered by our stomach acids or any of thedigestive processes.

In order to suffer from swallowingbubble gum, you would need to swallow a whole pack since, in largerquantities, these are capable of causing digestive problems andconstipation. However, you do not have any reasons for doing this,and pay attention preventing your child from doing this as well.

All in all, unless you are persistentwith your gum swallowing, this singular accident is not dangerous atall and, after taking a tour around your stomach, the gum will beexpelled and thereby removed from your organism one or two days afterit was swallowed.