Here’s What Happens In Your Stomach When You Swallow Gum [Video]

Hopefully by now you've figured out that the Old Wives Tale about swallow gum and it taking years to digest is a myth.

We've all been told some variation of the swallowing gum story. It stays in your stomach for seven years. It stays in your stomach FOREVER! Or it could grow some kinda plant inside of you.

As an adult, you probably figured out that it's not true. But what exactly DOES happen when you swallow gum? Is it harmful? Well...

Here is some of the transcript from the video:

The more gum that your body has to process, the higher the likelihood that it’ll build up.
This gum mass could potentially clog your digestive tract, causing an intestinal blockage which can trigger stomach pain or constipation.
There’s a lovely name for this blockage: a bezoar. An 18-year old Israeli woman once suffered from a bezoar that blocked her stomach. The problem?
Turns out, she had been swallowing at least five pieces of gum every day.
The blockage had grown so large that doctors had to break it into smaller pieces and then fish it out of her, piece by piece.
But chewing gum alone isn’t necessarily bad for you.
A couple small studies have shown that the act of chewing gum can actually help relax you. Because it can help reduce levels of cortisol — a common stress hormone — in your saliva.
So, feel free to unwrap a stick.You won’t be alone. 56% of American chew gum, each about 280 sticks per year. It’s a 2 billion dollar industry in the U.S.

While it doesn't stay inside of your stomach forever, it could still do harm to your digestive system. So, just don't.