Chewing Gum Swallowed: What You Should Know About It

There are many scary stories in case you swallowed some gum. For example, It sticks up the stomach and causes health problems. We have researched how true these myths are for you.

Chewing gum swallowed: harmless to healthy people

If you’re not careful, it’s happened. The chewing gum ends up in the stomach instead of in the garbage can. Don’t worry, it’s completely safe for healthy people.

• Chewing gum cannot stick to anything in the body. Outside the body, the mass sticks everywhere and can hardly be removed. But she doesn’t have a chance to do that inside. The chewing gum cannot stick to the smooth and moist mucous membranes.
• The chewing gum is an indigestible mass that our digestion cannot do much with. The stomach and intestines release the sugar and flavors from chewing gum. But there is nothing more to get.
• The sticky lump passes through the digestive system and eventually ends up in the toilet.

These dangers lurk when chewing gum

It becomes dangerous if you eat and swallow an excessive amount of chewing gum. Then there are health consequences.

• Chewing and swallowing large amounts of gum in a short period of time can cause problems in the esophagus. Swallowing becomes very difficult.
• For example, if you swallow several packets of the sticky mass every day, a large lump can form in the body. It gets stuck and clogs the esophagus or intestines.
• Large amounts of gum can cause bloating because you take in a lot of air when you chew it.
• Sugar-free chewing gum contains a lot of the sweeteners sorbitol or xylitol. These substances have a laxative effect. If you chew a lot of it, you can get diarrhea.
• There’s nothing wrong with chewing gum once in a while, especially if it’s for dental hygiene. It also doesn’t matter if you swallow some chewing gum.
• If you have health concerns about swallowing gum, seek advice from your GP.