My 6-year-old daughter accidentally swallowed a wad of chewing gum. Should I be concerned?
Although chewing gum is designed to be chewed and not swallowed, it generally isn't harmful if swallowed. Folklore suggests that swallowed gum sits in your stomach for seven years before it can be digested. But this isn't true.
It is true that your body can't digest chewing gum. But if you swallow it, the gum doesn't stay in your stomach. It moves relatively intact through your digestive system and passes out of your body in your stool.
On very rare occasions, large amounts of swallowed gum combined with constipation have blocked intestines in children. For this reason, you and especially your children should not swallow chewing gum often.
Show References
- Wyllie R, et al. Bezoars. In: Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 6th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed April 14, 2025.
- Your digestive system and how it works. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works. Accessed April 14, 2025.
Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/indigestion/expert-answers/digestive-system/faq-20058446