Does chewing gum stay in your stomach for years?

This myth stems from an old wives’ tale, stating that because of its sticky, rubberised texture, chewing gum is not digestible by the human stomach. In reality, there is no evidence that this is the case, with no recorded case of gum being permanently lodged within the stomach. In fact, modern scientific trials have shown that in most cases gum actually passes through the digestive system just as quick as any other foodstuff, with only a slight delay (mere hours) registered in a small percentage of cases.

Chewing gum’s sticky, rubber texture comes primarily from its base, which is produced from chicle – a natural latex product – or a synthetic rubber like polyisobutylene. Neither of these products have any proven side effects on the human digestive system.