Gum, a tempting rubbery candy that comes in various shapes, sizes, colours, and flavours, but have you very wondered what was it actually made of?
Most chewing gums are made up of a synthetic equivalent of a rubbery material called Polyisobutylene. They may also contain ingredients such as sweeteners, softeners, and flavouring that we enjoy until the taste is gone and you spit it out.

When you eat something, it goes through a systematic process, starting from chewing it, where the food mixes with the saliva, and once you swallow this mixture, your body breaks it down further extracting all the nutrients on the way before it lands inside your stomach, where a powerful stomach acid transforms it into a mush that allows the food to pass through the rest of the digestive tract smoothly.

But when it comes to gums, it is an entirely different process because no matter how powerful your stomach acid is, it is no match for the strength of the synthetic rubber. At this juncture, your body system takes matters into its own hands by treating it like any other food it cannot digest. Within the next three days or so, your digestive tract will push it through your system and will throw it out along with your poop.

Although swallowing a bubble gum by mistake won’t harm you, swallowing too many gums can cause a blockage in your digestive tract that might need medical attention or even an operation to remove it.