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How long will a ball of gum stay in your stomach?

Matthew Alice:

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My four-year-old has just mastered the art of chewing gum. He can eat a whole pack in ten minutes. I don't think swallowing five pieces of Bubble Yum will hurt him, but it makes me wonder, how long will that ball of gum stay in his stomach? Do I wait days, weeks, months to buy him his next pack? I don't want him to reach gum saturation.

-- Paul, La Mesa

More like the kid's mastered the art of swallowing gum; chewing doesn't seem to have much to do with it. This gum jones might not be something we'll want to put on his résumé when he applies to a prestige kindergarten. But digestionwise, gum shouldn't be any worse than dirt or cardboard or other stuff that four-year-olds eat. Depends on how fast the tyke generally digests things, but a lump of gum likely will be broken into its constituent parts and out of his stomach within 24 hours. Fats hang out longest, carbs exit fastest. Gum is mostly carbs. And now that gum is an official food group in your family, I hope Mom's working on some good recipes. Doublemint Gumbo, Bazooka Bolognese, Kung Pao Chiclets....

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Matthew Alice:

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My four-year-old has just mastered the art of chewing gum. He can eat a whole pack in ten minutes. I don't think swallowing five pieces of Bubble Yum will hurt him, but it makes me wonder, how long will that ball of gum stay in his stomach? Do I wait days, weeks, months to buy him his next pack? I don't want him to reach gum saturation.

-- Paul, La Mesa

More like the kid's mastered the art of swallowing gum; chewing doesn't seem to have much to do with it. This gum jones might not be something we'll want to put on his résumé when he applies to a prestige kindergarten. But digestionwise, gum shouldn't be any worse than dirt or cardboard or other stuff that four-year-olds eat. Depends on how fast the tyke generally digests things, but a lump of gum likely will be broken into its constituent parts and out of his stomach within 24 hours. Fats hang out longest, carbs exit fastest. Gum is mostly carbs. And now that gum is an official food group in your family, I hope Mom's working on some good recipes. Doublemint Gumbo, Bazooka Bolognese, Kung Pao Chiclets....

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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