When i was a kid, i was in awe of a neighbor who was a year older than me. She had an answer to everything, and i believed everything she said. When we found more little rocks in a dirt patch we'd just cleaned, she explained that they fall from the sky at night. Swallowing gum? It gets stuck in your stomach, and makes it so you can't poop. Now i know better, but thought it would be a good question to post. Here's what really happens...
"Chewing gum has five basic ingredients- sweeteners, corn syrup, softeners, flavors and gum base (the part that puts the "chew" in chewing gum). The first four ingredients are soluble, meaning they dissolve in your mouth as you chew. Gum base doesn't. And although it isn't meant to be swallowed, if it is, it simply passes through your system, just like popcorn or any other form of roughage. It starts traveling down your esophagus, into your stomach, enters the small intestine, and makes its way to the large intestine. This normally takes only a few days."
They say that if you swallow an exorbitant amount of gum it could create blockage, but we're talking multiple packs worth, not just a piece or two. I guess aly wasn't always the best source for information.
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