Famous Death Row Last Meals
Riz au Lait: The Frenchman's Ultimate Comfort Food
Ah, one of the eternal questions, right up there with "Do you really have to wait an hour after eating before you swim?" and "How many licks does it take to get the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?"
And now the question is answered at the Scientific American Web site. The old wisdom warned that you shouldn't swallow gum because it takes the body seven years to digest it. But the folks at Scientific American have investigated and the answer is ... after the jump!
Dr. David Milov of the Nemours Children's Clinic in Florida says there is no basis for this fear. Gum does not stay in the digestive tract for seven years. Dr. Rodger Little at Duke University agrees with Milov.
Now, this doesn't mean that all of us can start swallowing our gum with abandon. If a person does it on a regular basis, then there's the possibility that it could cause a blockage. So you should just continue to place it under tables and the seats of movie theaters (just kidding - don't do that either!).
Now, this brings up another question: if gum isn't swallowed, can it be considered a food?
[thanks to Scott for the tip]
How Kidnapping Suspect Passes Time Behind Bars
Chili's Waitress Fired Over Facebook Post Insulting 'Stupid Cops'
12 Common Workout Myths Debunked
Forbidden America: Cold War-Era Map Shows No-Go Zones For Soviet Tourists
Billboard Music Awards: Worst Dressed (or Most Daring?) From Past Red Carpets
Courtney Stodden Has A Sex Tape
Man Takes Dump In Background Of Instructional Workout Video
Tenants: Stench of Death Makes St. Louis Complex 'Unlivable'
Police Investigate Student Shooting Death
HSBC Plans 14,000 More Job Cuts
Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 running stock Android 4.2
Radio Host Makes Shocking Claim About Shooting Hillary Clinton
Taylor Swift Q and A: What Does She Splurge on in Las Vegas?
Ricardo Cerezo, Facing Eviction, Finds $4.85 Million Lottery Ticket
These American Companies Refused To Sign The Bangladesh Safety Accord
Bill Gates regains title of world's richest person as Microsoft stock hits five-year high
Marine Reunited With Four-Legged Friend
Powerball Jackpot Winning Ticket Purchased In Florida
LOOK: There's Something Wrong With This Picture
Teen Who Died During Her First Solo Drive May Have Been Texting
PHOTO: Looking Good! Chaz Bono Loses 65 Pounds
PREGNANT!
Former OJ Attorney Gives Shocking Testimony
Waitress Surprised With HUGE Tip On Tiny Bill
PHOTO: Rob Kardashian Takes A Hike
McDonald's Store Owners Fear Fast Food Chain Becoming Too Slow
Will Smith, Jaden Smith Get Photobombed
Guess Which State Boasts The Most Million-Dollar Homes?
New Leads In Case Of Missing British Girl
Student Shot Dead During Botched Home Invasion
Pictures Showing Pregnant Teens' Bumps Banned From Yearbook
The Afterlife Of Andy Kaufman
10-11-2007 @4:39PM Matthew said... I used to manage a gelato store, and every time someone other than a child would order the bubble gum gelato I couldn't help myself but point out that they just chose the one flavor in the shop that's based on something basically inedible.
Reply
10-11-2007 @5:55PM mrMan said... ...and this article just made you a liar for all of those years!
Reply
10-11-2007 @8:06PM ann marie said... in back to eden it says pickles are inedible....denatured with vinegar...i dont know if thats true or not.
i do remember from one of my classes that food is considered anything that when digested is oxidized and yields energy.
in humans that leaves out things like wood i believe....although other species can digest wood.
Reply
10-12-2007 @12:09AM Deuz Augustine said... I've always swallowed all the gum I eat, and I'm not about to stop.
Reply
10-12-2007 @12:05PM kevjohn said... I always swallow too, at about a 90% rate. Good thing I don't chew all that often.
Reply
10-15-2007 @4:20PM Simon Arch said... Pickling is not denaturation. Pickling is an ancient and well-practised form of food preservation. Almost every culture around the world throughout recorded history has employed pickling in a variety of ways on a huge variety of foods, from eggs and meats to vegetables and fruits. If pickles were inedible and of no nutritional value they would have died out centuries ago.
Reply
10-17-2007 @8:57AM Marilyn said... Well, I have been swallowing gum since I can remember, and now that I am 60 I remember little, but do know going #2 sure was a chore way back then. I still swallow, but not as much, unless I am very hungry and it just goes down after a few chews. I do not reccomend a constant diet of chewed gum - best to spit it out or chance living with hemroids.
Reply
10-16-2007 @2:50PM Ben said... I'm no doctor, but I would think that the acids in a human's stomach would cause the gum to disolve fairly easily.
Reply
10-16-2007 @2:57PM Victoria said... I'm too afraid to swallow gum for fear of choking on it if it somehow gets stuck in my throat. I think I'll continue to wrap it in tissue when I'm done and throw it in the trash. I never put it under seats and try to avoid throwing it on the ground to prevent anyone from getting it stuck to the bottom of a shoe.
Reply
10-16-2007 @9:54PM crazyone2 said... Well duh I have swollowed so much gum If the tale was true I would be blowing a bubble every time I farted
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:07PM Laurie said... It would have been a better article by far, and much more informative if the article had stated just how long it does take to digest gum.
Why did they leave that out. Okay, it doesn't take 7 years, but how long does it actually take? Does it just pass through like any other thing?
I like to chew gum, but I always spit it out into a piece of paper and throw it in the garbage.
This article did not give a full answer, it just stated that it does not take 7 years. What a waste of time to read that, I knew that from reading this previously, but I thought it would state the facts behind the digestion of gum. Thanks for nothing, really.
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:13PM vincetta said... You can't digest gum , it just passes through the intestines and comes out whole if it doesn't get stuck in your intestines.
Reply
10-19-2007 @1:18PM Lacey Williams said... I SWALLOW MY GUM 98% OF THE TIME AND I'M STILL GOING STRONG! CAN'T STOP ME NOW!
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:20PM Lizzy said... Gum goes through your body just like anything else.
Not to sound gross but I've swallowed gum for years, and I've seen it come out the other way with everything else I've eaten the day before.
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:48PM judi said... When my son was little I would tell him that if he swallowed his gum it would blow a bubble out of his behind the next time he farted!
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:32PM Jacob said... #5 .... Thanks for always cleaning up the MESS!
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:37PM jwbecotte said... Gum would pass through your system within hours, depending on your health and diet. It is not broken down and digested. It is only passed through. The gum is treated the same as a penny or any other foreign object one would swallow.
Think about the drug smugglers who fill the balloons with drugs and swallow them. Your body would treat the gum just the same.
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:40PM 3FingersGuido said... What if the swallowed gum makes it through the digestive tract and gets stuck at the sphincter opening? Can you blow a bubble if you have gas?
Reply
10-16-2007 @3:38PM smyers said... Ok everyone. Vincetta is right. Your body does not actually digest the gum. It can however break apart slightly while in the stomach which causes it to come out in small bits...kind of like corn! We don't digest corn either. Gum just becomes a waste that is later sent out in the form of well you know!
Reply
10-16-2007 @4:36PM breanna said... i chew gum about 90% of my day...atleast 4 pieces a day and i swallow the gum about 3 times...i dont kno if thats badd or not...will it cause a blockage???
Reply