September 29, 2022 – THEME WEEK DAY 4

We’re continuing our theme week on Common Misconceptions! You may have heard that if you swallow your chewing gum, it’ll stay in your stomach for 7 years. Not so! In most cases, that wad of gum that you swallowed will pass through your system just as quickly as any other food. Chewing gum is indigestible – but so are a lot of things that we eat, like fiber. But, humans have evolved to process these indigestible materials, so if it doesn’t break down in your digestive system, your body moves it along the tract until it’s passed. It won’t spend any longer in your body than the indigestible parts of whatever else you’ve eaten. Learn more here.