# Should I spit or swallow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2006, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989 "2006-01-08T06:48:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/1 "2006-01-08T06:48:11Z")
So winterfresh gum has 10 calories per stick. And I chew ALOT of winterfresh. Now I usually swallow the gum but I’ve been curious. If I didn’t want those 10 calories, would spitting the gum out prevent me from getting them? Or am I already taking in 10 calories the instant I put the gum in my mouth? ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/2 "2006-01-08T11:51:23Z")
Sorry, thought this was an oral sex thread…I’ll be moving along now. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/3 "2006-01-08T12:04:03Z")
Yup, me too. You should spit, but not because of calories. I’m pretty sure you’ll get them whether you swallow it or not, because you’re really not supposed to swallow it. Your digestive tract is not good at, well, digesting it. That’s how it’s always been explained to me, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/4 "2006-01-08T12:15:22Z")
The majority of the calories in gum come from sugar and flavorings that your body will digest as they go into solution with your saliva, and then down your GI tract. As other posters have mentioned - the base of the gum, the flavorless stuff you chew, really isn’t food. It’s not signifigantly digestible, even after passing through the stomach, or intestines. I don’t know how accurate it is, but one risk with swallowing gum that I’d heard about is that, since it is basically indigestible, it can cause two problems in the intestines: it can accumulate and actually block the intestines, a life threatening condition; or it can fill up the appendix and act as a matrix for other fermentable matter to stay there, to cause problems there. Either way, I don’t think it’s a good plan to swallow your gum all the time. ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/5 "2006-01-08T15:29:11Z")
Why in the world would you want to swallow the gum in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/6 "2006-01-08T15:53:37Z")
> [@BoringDad](#): > > Why in the world would you want to swallow the gum in the first place? Because it’s convenient, and often there’s not a trash can or other means of disposal nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/7 "2006-01-08T15:58:29Z")
OK, self-proclaimed gum eater here. Notice I said eater and not chewer. I have been eating gum since I was 8 or 9 years old and I have never had a problem. I have even asked doctors about it and have been told that it just passes through your digestive system undigested, a lot like corn or any other type of roughage. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/8 "2006-01-08T16:47:03Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > I don’t know how accurate it is, but one risk with swallowing gum that I’d heard about is that, since it is basically indigestible, it can cause two problems in the intestines: it can accumulate and actually block the intestines, a life threatening condition; or it can fill up the appendix and act as a matrix for other fermentable matter to stay there, to cause problems there. Absolute nonsense. **Amp** is correct, more or less. The gum probably will get broken down by the hydrochloric acid in the stomach. In the odd chance it doesn’t the body will treat it like any other indigestible food. The gum accumulating in your guts story is for third-graders to scare each other with. ---
**Author:** ![percussion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@percussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percussion)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/9 "2006-01-08T16:48:20Z")
I swallow so much gum :(. Now im frightened! ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/10 "2006-01-08T17:15:30Z")
> [@alanak](#): > > Because it’s convenient, and often there’s not a trash can or other means of disposal nearby. What about the gum wrapper? It’s small and equally as digestable as the gum. Do you just swallow that too if there is no garbage can? Sorry for the slightly snarky question. The whole gum swallowing thing provokes a visceral “Ewwwwww” reaction in me. ---
**Author:** ![Standup\_Karmic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/11 "2006-01-08T17:44:18Z")
I had a friend who accidentally swallowed some glass. We had no idea what to do, so I took her to the hospital. They did some routine checking of her throat and whatnot to look for cuts, but when they found none, they weren’t worried much at all. It was a fairly small amount. The told her that if she were to begin vomiting blood or something, then she was going to need to be reexamined, otherwise it woudl simply pass through her without any harm being done. Point: if you can pass glass without the doctors in emergency being overly worried, then a wee piece of gum ins’t going to cause any problem whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/12 "2006-01-08T18:41:50Z")
> [@BoringDad](#): > > What about the gum wrapper? It’s small and equally as digestable as the gum. Do you just swallow that too if there is no garbage can? > [/SIZE] You know, you can put a gum wrapper in your pocket with little to no problem. But you _don’t_ want to do that with a chewed-up wad of gum. Yes, there is option (c) - wrapping the used gum in the used gum wrapper and putting that in your pocket. But if you frequently leave stuff in your pockets and end up washing it just once, then you’ll see that just swallowing the gum is significantly easier all around (if there’s no trashcan). Course I just stick it underneath any flat surface… 😃 (just kidding). - Peter Wiggen ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/13 "2006-01-08T19:12:19Z")
[…obligatory link the Perfect Master](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_059.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/14 "2006-01-08T22:12:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Point: if you can pass glass without the doctors in emergency being overly worried, then a wee piece of gum ins’t going to cause any problem whatsoever. Pass Glass? Heh! Don’t swallow your gum. Makes the toilet paper sticky. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/15 "2006-01-08T22:33:17Z")
I swallow my gum, too, if there’s no place to get rid of it. It’s not icky. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/16 "2006-01-09T01:16:01Z")
I’ve been swallowing gum for as long as I can remember, better than 15+ years, and never a single digestive problem. My WAG would be that it poses no health threat. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/17 "2006-01-09T02:51:28Z")
Yeah, I swallow about 20 pieces a day and have for about 2 years. I havent’ seen any problems with _removal_. Thanks **OtakuLoki** I figured that the sugar became mixed with my saliva, but I just wasn’t sure how many calories came from the sugar and how many came from the gum. ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/18 "2006-01-09T04:09:13Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I swallow my gum, too, if there’s no place to get rid of it. It’s not icky. Oh no. No indeed. This is General Questions. The factual answer is that it is indeed icky. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/19 "2006-01-09T04:28:43Z")
> [@Surbey](#): > > So winterfresh gum has 10 calories per stick . . . :mad: Tease! ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989/20 "2006-01-09T13:56:34Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > The gum accumulating in your guts story is for third-graders to scare each other with. **WAG:** That is a fable. Chewing gum accumlates in your gizzard to keep it busy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-spit-or-swallow/338989.md?page=2)