Millions chew gum every single day. However, when the gum loses its flavor, people will do anything they can to get rid of it: sticking it under their desks, or into someone’s hair, dropping it on the sidewalk, or simply just swallowing it. For years kids have heard that, if they swallow their gum, it stays in their stomach for seven years. Is this myth actually true?

Active gum chewer and WJ senior Jackie Ward sat down to share her thoughts on the subject. “I typically chew about four pieces of gum per school day,” said Jackie.

Immediately upon being allowed to chew gum, Jackie’s mother and father told her that she must be very careful not to choke on it, and never, never… never! to swallow it. If she did, she was warned, it would stagnate in her stomach for seven long years.

“The thought really freaked me out, so I was always very careful not to swallow it,” admitted Jackie.

Senior football player James Poinsette said that when he was younger he always imagined that every time he swallowed gum it would continue to build up in his stomach into a huge ball that would continue to grow until the seven years passed.

An article by Tina Comston, a medical myth buster from The Ohio State University, cites research showing the myth is not true.

“This myth is definitely false. The body is very good at digesting material that it can use and passing the rest out in the stool [TMI!]). It is true that your body is unable to digest the synthetic portion of chewing gum, but it doesn’t stay in the stomach for an extended period of time because the stomach periodically empties into the small intestine,” explained Comston.

Hopefully, now that this myth has been proven false, people can finally confidently swallow their gum without having to worry about it festering in their stomach for the next seven years. Good to know for the next time that teacher threatens to give you a detention for chewing gum during class and you need to get rid of it quick!

“I swallow gum all the time with no problems!” boasted Jackie.