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IN THIS SERIES, TheJournal.ie takes a look at an urban myth, old wives’ tale, or something that your mammy told you years ago to see if there’s any truth in it.
If you’re a regular chewer of gum, you’ve encountered this situation at some point: After chewing for hours, you’ve thought, “Right, I’ve had enough of this”. You go to spit it out, only to discover that you have nothing to politely dispose of it in.
Try to stick it to the seat or throw it on the floor, and you risk a hefty fine. The fear flashes through your mind that if you swallow it, it will be stuck in your stomach as an unwelcome companion for seven years.
As anyone, gum-chewer or not, will know, once stuck to anything, chewing gum is a pain to remove. It gets on your jeans, you have to freeze them. It gets on your shoe, you have to spray it with WD40. In your hair? Time to use some peanut butter, mayonnaise, vaseline or even booze.
So does your body actually have a problem getting… er… rid of it?
Little pieces of car tyre
Gum was originally made from the sap of trees, and there is evidence that it was chewed in prehistoric times. If swallowed, this would be dissolved by your stomach acids. Nowadays, it’s made from synthetic rubber, essentially the same thing as a car tyre.
As this is not the sort of thing one would usually ingest, the belief spread that your stomach hangs on to it for years. But has this ever been proven?
Professor Aiden McCormick, a consultant in Hepatology and Gastroenterology at St. Vincent’s Hospital, is a man who might know a thing or two about this. In his experience, it doesn’t seem to be true:
“I have been doing gastroscopies on patients for 30 years and I have never yet found chewing gum in the stomach.”
If chewing gum did hang around for a little big longer than other foods, something would more than likely have turned up at some stage. It seems that while eating rubber may not be the best thing for your body, it can deal with it.
Medical intervention
Now, before you start swallowing your gum every single time, there is some evidence that excessive swallowing of chewing gum can lead to something a little unpleasant.
A study (before you click that link, be warned, the level of detail isn’t very pleasant) looked at cases where children did swallow excessive amounts of the confectionery, and a mass formed in their stomach which required medical intervention to remove.
These were extreme cases, for example one where the child swallowed gum frequently in order to be given more, so fear not. An occasional swallowed piece won’t stay with you for very long.
Is there a myth you’d like debunked? Email nicky@thejournal.ie
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If I was it would be abroad. Cheaper to fly somewhere than pay the costs of a weekend away in the rip off Republic
@Paul O Connor: that’s not the question. Stop having a hissy fit for the sake of it
@Paul O Connor: no it isn’t
@Mogh Roith: It can be but people often compare apples and oranges. I regularly see people quoting 4 or 5 star hotel breaks in Ireland with some tip abroad that you wouldn’t put a dog in. There is good value in both types of holiday if you’re willing to look around but it totally depends on what you’re seeking.
@Paul O Connor: Settle, petal. There was no mention of Ireland in the question…
@Mogh Roith:
3 weeks ago I got return flights Cork to London 2 nights and 2 nights in a 4 star hotel for 249 quid. Cheapest 4 star hotel in Dublin was 240 per night. Plus the trip to Dublin from Cork would’ve cost the same as the flights.
@Paul O Connor: Ripublic Off Ireland
@Paul O Connor: You did in your b0ll1x get a four star hotel in London for 240 for two nights unless it was a groupon deal or something like that.
@Paul O Connor: depends where you go and where you stay
@Paul O Connor: gosh that was great value. What hotel did you stay in?
Too expensive plain and simple. We have wound up with a country where there is little or no value for money.
No! Way too expensive ! Cheaper to wait and go abroad for a long weekend later in the year
Yes, in honour of st brigid I’ll go to county kildare. Actually i live in kildare so i guess that’s a no then:(
Nope. Ireland is an absolute ripoff. You pay massively overpriced rates for totally inferior quality. I’m tired of seeing those ads where accommodation looks like it’s 1979 and the description says “cosy, rustic, hipster” etc, where in reality it’s just old and not refurbished for decades. Also people need to learn the meaning of “stunning”, have they ever been abroad? I prefer a week away abroad for the price of a weekend away here, any day. Also, you go somewhere in Ireland and you get lashing rain and no sun. No thanks!
@Kubek Synthwave: feel free to leave whenever you wish
I am. I’m going away over to the local to watch the rugby.
Driving to Holland keeping the economy going with irish exports.
Apart from the bank holidays over Christmas and the New year and Paddy’s day, I’d rather work every other bank holiday and take them off as holiday days instead whenever would suit me better.
I’m working but hopefully next weekend . Donegal maybe on the horizon
Getting out of this dump of a country
With wot yer screwing us for every penny…be lucky to get away at all this year!!
….like…to prison?
I walk the doggos in Stephens Green everyday, it’s less than a minutes walk from my front door. So, tomorrow I think we’ll take a trip to the Iveagh Gardens and then maybe on Monday we’ll head to St Patricks Park … sooooo looking forward to a change of scenery.
Going away??? The prices we are paying now people won’t be able go to the local beach!!
@Murf: holiday bookings are almost at pre-pandemic levels so lots of people can afford to travel.
I did my tax returns and submitted claims to my health insurance. Loads of fun on a Bank Holiday!
have your say