Is it possible to swallow chewing gum. What happens if you swallow gum? What happens if a child ate a pack of gum

It would seem that something terrible will happen from swallowing chewing gum? We all accidentally or deliberately swallowed it in childhood. However, not everything is so simple and unambiguous. If a child swallows gum, the parent subconsciously worries and fears the consequences. Is this situation harmless or, on the contrary, terrible?

Swallowed chewing gum can cause serious health problems for the child.

In childhood, adults scared us that if you swallow gum, it will not leave the body and stick to the walls of the stomach. Or it will be even worse - it will sink into the intestines and stick it together. Then there is no need for surgery. But this is a delusion.

What is included in modern chewing gum:

• sweeteners;
• flavors;
• wax;
• gum;
• taste stabilizers;
• dyes;
• emulsifiers.

One swallowed chewing gum will be digested in the stomach without harm to health.

In the bouquet of chemical components there is nothing useful for the child's body, but there is nothing particularly toxic either. If a child swallows gum, it will be easily digested in the stomach under the influence of digestive enzymes and juices. It will take 6 to 10 hours to process chewing gum. In extreme cases, it will come out, after a day, naturally. The gum cannot glue or damage anything along the way.

The child swallowed some chewing gum

If you swallow one chewing gum, there will be no health consequences. But it happens that the baby eats a whole package, and then complains of feeling unwell. Among the possible consequences of swallowing gum are:

• food poisoning;
• food allergies;
• diarrhea/constipation.

When a baby swallows a large amount of chewing gum, parents need to sound the alarm and seek help from a doctor.

A few swallowed chewing gums can harm a child's body.

Food poisoning

For chewing gum to cause poisoning, it must be swallowed in large quantities. The components of modern chewing gums very rarely cause severe intoxication of the body. However, parents cannot know for sure what is included in the composition of the gum, how good it is, and what will happen to the baby. The child's body can react to a foreign substance in different ways.

If a child is suspected of being poisoned, give him 250-500 ml of water and induce a gag reflex.

Thus, the stomach is freed from toxins. If vomiting cannot be induced, and the baby's condition causes concern, you should immediately go to the hospital.

Allergic reaction

The components of chewing gums very often provoke allergies in children. At risk are children prone to allergic reactions. You need to find out how much the child swallowed this product. If a large amount of chewing gum enters the body, there may be a threat not only to health, but also to the life of the baby.

If a child has an allergy (urticaria, itching, swelling), he immediately needs an antihistamine. If after that the baby feels normal, you should not worry.

If the baby began to cough, choke, turned pale - you can’t hesitate, you need to urgently call an ambulance.

If an allergic reaction occurs, the child should be given an antihistamine and consult a doctor.

Diarrhea or constipation

After swallowing a large amount of chewing gum, such consequences are to be expected. Large and dense pieces of gum disrupt the bowels, and this causes prolonged constipation. In different countries, cases have been recorded when children had to undergo surgery due to intestinal obstruction.

Diarrhea is also a common symptom of gum poisoning. Some of its components act on the intestines as a laxative, so they can provoke diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain.

If a child has diarrhea after chewing gum, fixing drugs should not be given to him. The gum should leave the body faster. When the condition of the baby does not improve, a visit to the doctor is required.

Constipation or diarrhea caused by swallowed gum requires immediate medical attention.

Actions of parents

What to do if a child swallows gum? You need to calm down and not panic. Find out how many pastilles the baby ate - one, two or more. A pair of rubber bands is not dangerous, the baby will not feel any discomfort. They will be excreted in the feces and will not harm the body.

Eaten a whole pack or more? Then the state and behavior of the child need control. If there were no symptoms during the day, the gum was digested. In case of severe pain in the abdomen, stool disorders, rashes, difficulty breathing, you cannot do without an examination by a specialist.

Summary

Even ordinary chewing gum can cause disastrous consequences. In addition to swallowing the product, the baby may accidentally inhale it into the respiratory tract, resulting in suffocation. Do not leave children alone with dangerous objects and do not give chewing gum before 6 years.

Let's say the chewing gum still ended up inside the body. What will happen to the body now? In fact, there are several options: from the banal "nothing" to an attack of diarrhea or, conversely, constipation. Another option is food poisoning, but let's look at all the options for the development of events:

Nothing

Most often this is what happens. Chewing gum does not cause any harm to the body and leaves it naturally when the time comes.

But this is not always the case.

Diarrhea

Such a reaction is really possible if you swallow more than one chewing gum, but several. The fact is that the gum contains various sweeteners. Many of them have a laxative effect on the body. In such a situation, you need to drink as much liquid as possible and wait for the chewing gum to come out naturally.

Constipation

Let's be honest: to cause constipation, chewing gum should be the size of a small apple. It is difficult to swallow such a whole, but nothing is impossible for a purposeful person.

For example, rather weighty lumps of chewing gum were extracted from two four-year-old children who, while playing, gradually swallowed one chewing plate at a time. Pieces of gum stuck together already inside and caused serious problems in the digestive system. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Allergy attack

And this can happen if you swallow chewing gum, which contains a possible allergen. The fact is that the effect of some components of gum on the body is difficult to predict. And the reaction can be individual for each person.

Therefore, chewing gum is better not to swallow at all. And remember: an adult will endure the consequences easier than a child. In children, the body is weak and small, which can exacerbate the reaction of the digestive system.

The composition of chewing gum is quite simple. It includes:

• base or chicle;
• fragrances;
• sweeteners.

The most dangerous ingested component of all of the above is the base, everything else is digested in the stomach without problems. Chicle is made up of resins, elastomers, waxes, emulsifiers and fats. When chewing gum enters the body, its outer shell and sweeteners are first broken down by the action of saliva. The base under the action of gastric juice and its enzymes loses its stickiness and also dissolves.

Is it dangerous for a baby to swallow gum? Chewing gum that enters the stomach will not harm the child's body. It does not have sharp edges or poisonous ingredients in the composition, it will not scratch the palate and damage the esophagus. Chewing gum is safe as any non-food item eaten, which the body will get rid of after a few days.

The most dangerous ingested component of all of the above is the base, everything else is digested in the stomach without problems. Chicle is made up of resins, elastomers, waxes, emulsifiers and fats. When chewing gum enters the body, its outer shell and sweeteners are first broken down by the action of saliva. The base under the action of gastric juice and its enzymes loses its stickiness and also dissolves.

Digestive disorders

This is the most obvious effect if a child has swallowed gum. It manifests itself in different ways, because a negative result from the digestive system happens in several ways. In order to correctly correlate causes and effects, let's pay attention to how this happens.

When chewing gum leads to food poisoning

Food poisoning is possible only if you swallow poor-quality chewing gum, consisting of poisonous and toxic ingredients. Unfortunately, such chewing gum still exists, and all over the world. And it's not even about underground factories producing fakes. Even completely legal chewing gum manufacturers supply chewing gum with toxic substances to stores, the harmfulness of which has not yet been “proven”.

Alas, it’s quite difficult for non-specialists to “poke” a finger into bad chewing gum, so just don’t swallow chewing gum of unknown brands.

What to do if you swallowed chewing gum with poison?

The first step is to induce vomiting (if you still don't have any) and see if you can get rid of the toxic gum that way. If it worked out, observe the reaction of the “patient's” body and decide according to the circumstances, if not, go to the hospital. Let them decide how to help the victim.

When swallowing gum causes an allergy attack

Sometimes an allergy is manifested from one chewing gum, but it is much more likely that the body will react inadequately with a large number of swallowed chewing gums. Do not think that this does not happen, because often children and adults do not understand the dangers of chewing gum. They swallow on a dare, out of curiosity, through negligence - in general, it happens.

What to do if you swallow gum with an allergen?

If after an adult or child has swallowed the gum, they show signs of an allergy, first take an antiallergic drug and try to "extract" the gum with vomiting. In parallel, find out how much destructive rubber was swallowed in order to understand if there is something else left in the body.

It will be possible to “drive out” the chewing gum on your own - watch the “swallower” with a vial (or whatever you have) of an antiallergic drug. If the chewing gum does not come out or there was a lot of it, go to the hospital, as it is quite possible that it will be difficult to do without professional doctors in this case.

Diarrhea

To get diarrhea, you have to chew several packs of chewing gum a day. If you swallow gum, you will need much less.

Since this fact raises doubts among many people who at one time swallowed more than a dozen chewing gums (usually at different times), let me quote the data from the English medical journal The Lancet (the entire next paragraph).

Each chewing gum contains some kind of sweetener (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol or maltitol), which is also a laxative. Therefore, ingestion of a large dose of one of them promises you diarrhea, and sometimes flatulence or abdominal pain. It should be noted that other symptoms are also possible.

The same publication describes a slightly different case when the boy chewed about ten packs of gum a day, after which his heart accelerated twice - up to 147 beats per minute, trips to the toilet "for little need" became more frequent and excessive aggression appeared. And all this because of the tiny dose of caffeine in each piece of chewing gum, which simply “summed up”.

Perhaps, when swallowing, it is also possible to achieve such serious “results”, because if a child swallows several of these chewing gums, his level of excitation can noticeably jump, his heart speeds up, well, further according to the scenario.

So, if swallowed chewing gum caused diarrhea - get rid of chewing gum and drink plenty of fluids (water, compote).

Constipation

How much chewing gum is digested? If only one serving is swallowed, then the digestion process will take some 6-10 hours, maybe a little more. But what happens if you swallow gum the size of a small cupcake?

You say it doesn't happen? Hmm ... If you believe the publication in the American magazine "Pediatrix", then this happens. By the way, it is not necessary to swallow the whole lump at once, because you can gradually - plate after plate ... Apparently, this was done by two 4-year-old children of different sexes, from whose rectum, after prolonged constipation, weighty lumps of chewing gum were extracted.

Better be on the lookout. And if that - immediately to the doctor.

What is hazardous to health in the composition

To make this delicacy, manufacturers use many ingredients.

The gum base includes:

• natural or synthetic latexes;
• resins;
• paraffin;
• talc;
• calcium carbonate;
• sweeteners;
• flavoring additives;
• dyes;
• stabilizers;
• preservatives.

If chewing gum is often swallowed, the chemicals can cause significant harm to the child:

1. The presence of the stabilizer E330 and E422 leads to blood diseases.
2. The presence of the food additive E320 during the accumulation of the substance in the body leads to an increase in the content of cholesterol in the blood.
3. E322 disrupts the digestive system.
4. Sweeteners often cause diarrhea and can cause kidney stones in children.
5. Saccharin can start the growth of a malignant tumor.
6. Menthol and butyl often cause an allergic reaction and inflammation of the skin around the mouth.
7. Carbamide E927 causes diseases of the oral cavity.
8. Tartrazine E102 causes asthma attacks. Apple flavored gum is toxic and not recommended for infants and young children.
9. E129 or Charming Red AC is a carcinogen.

What happens if you swallow gum several times?

If the baby has a weak immune defense and his endocrine system is not functioning well, he has an increased risk of getting a general intoxication of the body, which can take the form of diarrhea, rash, reduced immunity, fever.

A healthy baby may feel nothing and calmly survive this event. With the constant swallowing of chewed lumps, other consequences can be observed, the symptoms of which will appear after some time.

First aid

What to do if the child swallowed and began to choke due to a piece stuck in the throat? If any foreign object enters the respiratory system, due to which suffocation began, you need to turn the baby upside down and knock him on the back.

He will reflexively scream, and the lump will be able to go back and fall out of his mouth. This technique should be known to all parents, because children often choke on food while eating and chewing. If this does not help, you need to urgently call an ambulance.

If the child swallowed the gum, what should the parent do at this moment if there are no signs of suffocation and the baby feels fine? In this case, the child needs to be fed bulk food for several days.

Children's superstition that swallowed chewing gum "sits" in the stomach for seven years has nothing to do with reality.

Our body is able to break down some of the components of chewing gum - sweeteners and flavor enhancers. "The rest is sent down the digestive tract," says Gerry Mullin, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Only the viscous base of chewing gum is indigestible - just like the skins and seeds of fruits.

Just don't imagine that chewing gum will stick to the lining of your stomach or intestines, like sneaker soles or pavement. It does take chewing gum a little longer than regular food to go all the way through the digestive tract, but one way or another, the body will excrete it, says Mullin, and gastroenterologist Nancy McGreel from Duke University adds that in all her practice she has never come across chewing gum. gum stuck inside patients.

When should you worry about chewing gum?

If you suffer from Crohn's disease or diverticulitis, which causes narrowing of the intestines - because the gum can clog an already narrow area. In rare cases, this leads to spasms, constipation and other intestinal disorders.

A healthy person can only achieve problems by swallowing a very large amount of chewing gum. Therefore, according to experts, you should not worry about occasionally swallowed chewing gum.

What's more, contrary to negative prejudice, chewing gum, when used as intended, can even be good for your health: it activates the salivary glands, which helps neutralize stomach acids and save you from heartburn.

In addition, studies show that chewing gum improves concentration, and 10 minutes of this activity a day helps to remove about 100 million bacteria from the teeth, which is equivalent to brushing your teeth with dental floss. The main thing is to make sure that there is no sugar in your gum.

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Processing . . .

Our magazine has already talked about how “useful” chewing gum is for pregnant women. Now we will try to find the answer to the question of what will happen if you swallow the gum. And what exactly to do in this situation. Well, in the process of considering this problem, we willy-nilly debunk a couple of myths about swallowed gum ... So, what happens if you swallow gum?

It will not be possible to find an unambiguous answer, because one of four options can “happen”: nothing will happen; diarrhea or constipation; allergy attack; food poisoning.

The desired option is known to everyone, so we will postpone the conditions for its occurrence for “dessert” (if you want, you can consider this a whim of the author). Well, in order not to violate the order of the points, let's discuss what can happen if you swallow gum, starting from the end of the list of consequences. By the way, it should be said right away that the effect does not depend on whether the child swallowed the gum or an adult, except that the child's reaction may be a little stronger, because the body is small ...

When chewing gum leads to food poisoning

Food poisoning is possible only if you swallow poor-quality chewing gum, consisting of poisonous and toxic ingredients. Unfortunately, such chewing gum still exists, and all over the world. And it's not even about underground factories producing fakes. Even completely legal chewing gum manufacturers supply chewing gum with toxic substances to stores, the harmfulness of which has not yet been “proven”. Alas, it’s quite difficult for non-specialists to “poke” a finger into bad chewing gum, so just don’t swallow chewing gum of unknown brands.

What to do if you swallowed chewing gum with poison?

The first step is to induce vomiting (if you still don't have any) and see if you can get rid of the toxic gum that way. If it worked out, observe the reaction of the “patient's” body and decide according to the circumstances, if not, go to the hospital. Let them decide how to help the victim.

When swallowing gum causes an allergy attack

Sometimes an allergy is manifested from one chewing gum, but it is much more likely that the body will react inadequately with a large number of swallowed chewing gums. Do not think that this does not happen, because often children and adults do not understand the dangers of chewing gum. They swallow on a dare, out of curiosity, through negligence - in general, it happens.

What to do if you swallow gum with an allergen?

If after an adult or child has swallowed the gum, they show signs of an allergy, first take an antiallergic drug and try to "extract" the gum with vomiting. In parallel, find out how much destructive rubber was swallowed in order to understand if there is something else left in the body. It will be possible to “drive out” the chewing gum on your own - watch the “swallower” with a vial (or whatever you have) of an antiallergic drug. If the chewing gum does not come out or there was a lot of it, go to the hospital, as it is quite possible that it will be difficult to do without professional doctors in this case.

Diarrhea

To get diarrhea, you have to chew several packs of chewing gum a day. If you swallow gum, you will need much less.

Since this fact raises doubts among many people who at one time swallowed more than a dozen chewing gums (usually at different times), let me quote the data from the English medical journal The Lancet (the entire next paragraph). Each chewing gum contains some kind of sweetener (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol or maltitol), which is also a laxative. Therefore, ingestion of a large dose of one of them promises you diarrhea, and sometimes flatulence or abdominal pain.

It should be noted that other symptoms are also possible. The same publication describes a slightly different case when the boy chewed about ten packs of gum a day, after which his heart accelerated twice - up to 147 beats per minute, trips to the toilet "for little need" became more frequent and excessive aggression appeared. And all this because of the tiny dose of caffeine in each piece of chewing gum, which simply “summed up”.

Perhaps, when swallowing, it is also possible to achieve such serious “results”, because if a child swallows several of these chewing gums, his level of excitation can noticeably jump, his heart speeds up, well, further according to the scenario. So, if swallowed chewing gum caused diarrhea - get rid of chewing gum and drink plenty of fluids (water, compote).

How much chewing gum is digested?

If only one serving is swallowed, then the digestion process will take some 6-10 hours, maybe a little more. But what happens if you swallow gum the size of a small cupcake? You say it doesn't happen? Hmm ... If you believe the publication in the American magazine "Pediatrix", then this happens. By the way, it is not necessary to swallow the whole lump at once, because you can gradually - plate after plate ... Apparently, this was done by two 4-year-old children of different sexes, from whose rectum, after prolonged constipation, weighty lumps of chewing gum were extracted. Better be on the lookout. And if that - immediately to the doctor.

Nothing will happen if...

Well, in the most common case, when swallowing gum, you will not notice any deviations from the norm. This option “threatens” you when only one gum is swallowed without obviously harmful components. It will just come out after a while (remember how much gum is digested). But swallowing gum is still not worth it, since there are too many unexplored and “unproven” components, due to which there will still be a negative effect, albeit invisible. Be healthy!