Harmful and unexpected consequences of swallowing gum

A team of experts warns of the health consequences of swallowing gum, as it may lead to a strange and annoying medical condition.

Gum can accumulate in the digestive system and harden to form a "stone mass" called "bezoar", and chewing other indigestible materials, such as hair, can increase the risk of developing this condition.

Although eating vegetables and fruits is very beneficial, the condition of "bezoar" can sometimes form from the indigestible parts of these foods, such as cellulose.

In an interview with The Conversation, Dr. Dan Baumgart, an expert in pharmacology and neuroscience from the University of Bristol, said that persimmons (or unripe persimmons), especially those that are not ripe, tend to form "bezoar" due to their high content of "tannin", which is naturally found in plants.

“Fruit and vegetable fibres, milk, medicines and chewing gum (such as swallowed chewing gum) can form an indigestible mass in the stomach, while ingesting inorganic materials such as paper, polystyrene and plastic can also cause bezoars,” Baumgardt added.

Bezoars can lie silently in the digestive tract for years, as they cause no symptoms that would alert doctors or family members to their presence, provided they do not interfere with the normal functioning of organs. But they can also cause a range of problems, including nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, ulcers and even internal bleeding.

Health experts have also pointed to the compulsive consumption of inedible materials, such as hair, paper and sand, which is medically known as pica. Young children, as well as adults with learning disabilities, are among the most common people to suffer from pica, but adults who are mentally stressed or under pressure or who lack iron or zinc in their diet can also develop the condition.

Pregnant women can also develop pica, which is thought to be a reaction of their body seeking out certain types of nutrients.