If you swallow gum it will stay in your stomach for 7 years

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If you swallow gum it will stay in your stomach for 7 years.

No. It will pass through your system.

I'm going to do a Fnord here and say "Evidence please?"

I never know the real answer to this, as there are different answers each time I look it up. I don't swallow gum because I worry about it clogging up my intestines. Part of my job is to scrape up gum off of floors and seats, and by Christ it is such a physically draining task. So if it can stick to something so rigidly and can take 20 minutes to remove using all the right tools and substances, then what could it do to your insides when swallowed? I know you'll say that your body has bacteria and acids that can break everything down, but there are still some things that even stomach acids can't break down and intestines cannot pass through. Occasionally swallowing a little bit of gum won't do any harm (I don't want to scaremonger anyone), but it's still best to avoid swallowing gum if you can. I worry about swallowing it wrong then it getting stuck to my throat or something.

I never chew gum as I don't like it.

Is this seriously even a discussion? Gum can't digest, no, but it can't digest in the same way that corn doesn't; therefore, it just passes right through your system relatively untouched at regular speeds.

The number seven is a sacred mystical number in Western culture going back to Mesopotamia at least. If not to the Paleolithic (when cavemen realized that the moon had seven phases).


Christ said "how often do you forgive someone? Seven times? No. Seven times seven".

Seven is a lucky number.

So we have memes like "it takes seven years for the cells in your body to all replace themselves, so every seven years you are a completely different person", and "a piece of gum stays in your body seven years", and "everyone is seven degrees of separation from everyone else". Its all poppycock.

Or is it "six degrees of separation ...from Kevin Bacon". I forget.

The seven deadly sins - check

Typically people who develop problems from swallowing gum are people who swallow gum all the time.

If it was true, I'd be completely blocked up as a kid and still be now because I loved gum and swallowed it all the time.

It don't tho. Sorry to burst your bubble, kid.

Edit: Oops this was a joke and went way over my head... as usual.