What Happens to Your Body When You Swallow Gum

You likely grew up hearing the same warning: Swallow a piece of gum, and it will sit in your stomach for seven years. It's a tale that sounds just believable enough to make you think twice about swallowing a piece yourself. However, that long-standing myth isn't true.

While gum doesn't break down the same way as most foods, it still moves through your digestive system and eventually exits the body. We spoke with experts to explain what happens when you swallow gum and who should be especially careful when chewing it.

What Happens When You Swallow Gum

Whether you chew gum often or only occasionally, you have likely swallowed a piece by accident—either because there was no trash can in sight or it simply slipped. Because gum is not like most foods we eat, it moves through the body a bit differently than your typical breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

When you chew gum, it softens through the mechanics of chewing and saliva. If you swallow it, it travels down the esophagus and into the stomach, says Raja Sabbagh, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. "In the stomach, it is further digested due to the stomach acids," she adds. "From the stomach it travels through the small intestine to the colon, the rectum, and then out the anus with defecation."

During digestion, some of the sweeteners in gum may break down, but the gum itself usually passes through the body mostly unchanged, according to Lilly M. Gonzalez, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist with Gastro Health.

The Truth About the 7-Year Myth

The old tale that gum stays in your body for seven years if you swallow it may have sounded believable years ago. The myth likely began in childhood, when parents warned children to chew carefully to avoid choking. It may also stem from the fact that gum doesn't fully digest like other foods, Saggagh says.

"Despite the old myth, it does not stay in your stomach for seven years," Gonzalzes says. "Gum does not take longer to pass through your digestive system, and it does not slow the digestion of other foods. For most people, swallowing gum once in a while is not a problem."

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When Swallowing Gum Can Be Dangerous

Swallowing gum is generally harmless for most people, especially if it happens occasionally. Still, it's best to avoid swallowing gum when possible. In some cases, it can pose risks. For example, in people with a partial intestinal blockage, a large piece of gum could turn it into a complete blockage, Sabbagh says. Gum can also be aspirated, she warns.

About 30 to 50 percent of the gum is not digested and will pass through the body as long as there are no blockages in the digestive tract, Sabbagh notes.

"The main exceptions are infants and small children, as well as people with severe gastrointestinal inflammation, such as Crohn’s disease, or those who have had multiple gastrointestinal surgeries," Gonzalez says. "In these cases, there is a small chance the gum could get stuck."

This risk is higher if someone swallows a large wad of gum or several pieces at once, particularly in children. The same caution applies to people with significant intestinal narrowing, inflammation, or a history of gastrointestinal surgeries.

The Downsides of Chewing Gum

Beyond freshening your breath, chewing gum has several downsides. It can cause bloating due to artificial sweeteners as well as excess air intake from frequent chewing, Gonzalez says.

"Over time, frequent gum chewing can also enlarge the masseter muscles, which are the main chewing muscles, and may even change the shape of the face," she adds. "If you grind your teeth, this may be especially unhelpful because it further works those muscles."