Myth: It takes seven years to digest chewing gum by Valeria Cárdenas Ruiz https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9 Activity 2. Debunking 'Scientific Myths' by Valeria Cárdenas A01571485 en-us 2022-01-15 03:58:22 UTC 2025-11-17 21:11:56 UTC hello@padlet.com a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993265441 2022-01-15 04:03:31 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993265441 ¿What are the bubble gum ingredients? a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993268304 According to Chewsy Gum, most commercial of the chewing gums are made around the same 5 ingredients:
· Gum base
· Sweeteners
· Softeners
· Flavourings
· Polyol Coating]]> 2022-01-15 04:09:30 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993268304 The only ingredient that cannot be processed by the stomach acids and digestive enzymes is th gum base a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993269444 2022-01-15 04:12:00 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993269444 Is it possible that it stays there for seven years? a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993272423 The answer is no. The BBC published an article about the matter saying that
"Foreign bodies such as coins can usually pass out of the stomach provided they’re less than 2cm in diameter. Chewing gum has the advantage over a lot of other accidentally-ingested objects in that it’s soft. [...] The only way that chewing gum could stay for seven years is if there was a vast amount of it." (Hammond, 2013)]]> 2022-01-15 04:16:30 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993272423 ¿Where does this myth comes from? a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993275872 According to the BBC, in the year 1998, a paper was published warning about the rectal obstructions that consequent swallowing gum.]]> 2022-01-15 04:23:06 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993275872 a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993278354 Dr Elizabeth Rajan, M.D. (gastroenterologist) responds to the myth in Mayo Clinic's website: "This isn't true. If you swallow gum, it's true that your body can't digest it. But the gum doesn't stay in your stomach. It moves relatively intact through your digestive system and is excreted in your stool." (Rajan, 2019)]]> 2022-01-15 04:28:25 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993278354 References a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993281798 Hammond, C. (2013, June 23). Does chewing gum take seven years to digest? BBC Future. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130625-does-gum-take-years-to-digest
Rajan, E. (2019, December 31). Swallowing gum: Is it harmful? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/faq-20058446
V. (2020, January 13). What is Chewing Gum Made Out Of? - Chewsy Gum. Chewsy. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://chewsygum.com/health/what-is-chewing-gum-made-out-of/]]> 2022-01-15 04:36:11 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993281798 ¿How do we know this is reliable information? a01571485 https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993283944 The medical researcher focused on gastroenterology must be a reliable source due to her unbiased knowledge and experience (in her curriculum didn't say anything about working for the gum industry), same for the BBC article, for being such a world-known broadcast company, it would've been called out for lying if that was the case.]]> 2022-01-15 04:41:08 UTC https://padlet.com/a01571485/n24qdcqohsqxxqw9/wish/1993283944