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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]
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10-19-2007 @10:13AM joe said... have you ever gone to a hotel and put your hands behind the headboard and felt nasty pieces of gum. funny, thats probably the cleanest thing there
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10-17-2007 @3:37PM Shawn said... I don't know about anyone else, but I can't chew 'Big Red' without the (almost) unresistable urge to swallow it in the first 45 seconds of chewing! I don't know why, but it only happens with 'Big Red'.
I don't really chew gum that often anymore anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter, but whenever I couldn't stop myself from swallowing my gum, I would ALWAYS think about the whole '7 years in the stomach' thing. Anyone else have this affliction with 'Big Red'?
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10-17-2007 @4:02PM Dave said... My grandpa always told me that if I swallowed seeds when we ate watermelon that one would grow in my stomach....
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10-17-2007 @4:06PM KOS said... Our US Congress enacted a law making Gum a Food, it has the same standards of all out food.
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(f) 1 The term "food" means (1) articles used for food or drink for man or other animals, (2) chewing gum, and (3) articles used for components of any such article.
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10-17-2007 @4:12PM geri said... since we're being silly...don't you hate it when you step on gum on the street...!!!!!!! i think one of the worst things a person can do is spit their gum out on the sidewalk instead of disposing of it properly...a curse on all ye gum spitters...lol
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10-17-2007 @4:21PM Hubba Bubba said... I once swallowed a whole pack of cum once and i farted and it blew a big bubble....seriously....I got pics
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10-17-2007 @4:45PM Stephanie said... Well now i am going to swallow some gum and try this out see if it works like this i fart all the time just dull dreary old farts nothing spetacular..... so now i wanna see if i can make a balloon fart..... i will get back to you all on this....... chew chew swallow swallow gulp....... feel gas coming oh here it comes..... kaplooeeee... oh hell yes i just blew out a red big azz balloon....and it splattered all over my cheeks....... it did work!!!!!
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10-18-2007 @9:05PM T said... I have always swallowed my gum....It does not digest...It looks the same way it does when you put it in yor mouth as when it comes out the other end only it is mixed in with feces. Once when defecating and the gum came out, it got stuck and i had to pull it out.
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10-17-2007 @5:00PM Rob said... swallowing is always the thing to do.
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10-17-2007 @7:06PM steve said... I absolutely loved Fran8119's comment. I also got a BIG grin over this topic & LOL at 3FingersGuido. Gonna try that. I already have the gas.
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10-17-2007 @9:12PM Chrissy said... #19....you are a POMPOUS ASS!
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