However, if you swallow gum regularly, there is a chance that it could lead to complications such as bowel obstruction. Many cases of swallowed gum involve children, but there are rare instances of digestive tract blockage in adults who swallow gum, too.
This article discusses why chewing gum can’t be digested and what happens when you or your child swallow it. It briefly explores some possible health benefits of chewing (but not swallowing) gum.
Why Gum Is Indigestible
Originally, chewing gum was made of chicle, a latex sap from the sapodilla tree. Today’s products rely on a gum base that may contain resins, fillers, emulsifiers, and waxes, among other things. Flavors and coloring are added to the mix.
The digestive system doesn’t break down the gum core products, so any gum that you swallow will be excreted in your feces once it has traveled through your stomach and intestines, along with the other food and drink you ingest.
What Happens When You Swallow Gum
The gastrointestinal (GI) system consists of everything from the lips to the anus. Typically, food breaks down as it goes through the GI tract. The esophagus doesn’t absorb anything as food (or gum) passes through this tube that connects your throat to the stomach.
Swallowed gum passes through the stomach and mixes with chyme, a thick semi-fluid produced by digestion before it travels to the small intestines. There, the solid matter continues to break down with the help of other organs, such as the liver and pancreas, and bacteria in the intestines.
Different nutrients are absorbed through the small intestines, with water making it all easier to move through the system. After passing through the large intestines, the mix is passed from the colon into the rectum and then through the anus.
Bowel Obstruction
Since swallowed gum isn’t digested, it will be the same consistency as it was when it accidentally went into the esophagus. That’s why, in rare cases, it may lead to a bowel obstruction.
Symptoms of a bowel obstruction include:
Abdominal bloating and distension Constipation Severe pain and cramping Nausea and vomiting
Treatment for a bowel obstruction will depend on its severity. In some cases, a stool softener may work to help the obstruction pass. In the most serious cases, surgery is necessary.
Health Benefits of Chewing Gum
If you’ve swallowed gum, it should pass through your system in less than a week. Apart from the risk of obstruction, the act of chewing gum leads to swallowing more saliva and more air, which may affect gas and bloating.
However, chewing gum also offers possible benefits in health care, so long as people don’t swallow it. Several studies find it may have a role in promoting healing after bowel surgery.
Chewing gum may help to speed up gut transit time during a capsule endoscopy, a procedure that relies on a tiny camera in a capsule that records images of your digestive tract as it passes through. A 2021 study of 205 people found that those who chewed gum had faster transit times, which may prove a diagnostic benefit and lead to fewer complications.
As a diagnostic tool, color-changing gum is used to evaluate people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when eating, ensuring proper oxygen levels and nutrition.
