Science Myths BUSTED!

No matter how long a piece of food has been on the floor, it’s safest to toss or compost it. Even if the floor looks clean, it might hold microscopic bacteria that could make you sick.  Walking on floors can introduce harmful germs, says Donald Schaffner. He’s a microbiologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Some studies have found that the longer food sits on the floor, the more bacteria it picks up. Schaffner’s research also shows that moist foods pick up more germs than dry ones. And hard floors transfer more microbes than carpet. But in any case, bacteria can get onto food in less than a second. So your dropped snack could be dirty the moment it hits the ground. Schaffner warns that “there’s no safe amount of time” for food to touch the floor.

If you swallow a small wad of gum by accident, it won’t hurt you. And it won’t stay in your body for more than a couple of days. Most gum is made of flavorings, sweeteners, and gum resin, which is a type of plastic that makes gum chewy. Our bodies can digest sugars and other ingredients. But stomach acids can’t break down gum resin. Instead, the resin passes through the digestive system mostly unchanged. “Gum leaves the stomach in less than two hours and should come out of your body in your poop in one to two days,” says Dr. Mark Chandler, a pediatrician at Duke University School of Medicine in North Carolina.

But that doesn’t mean you should swallow your gum! If you swallow a lot in a short time, a clump of gum could get stuck in your intestines. This could cause a serious medical problem. Chandler says it’s best to throw your gum in the trash when you’re finished chewing it.

After you eat, your body sends less blood to your muscles and more to your stomach. “The stomach needs extra blood to help digest food,” says Chandler.

Some doctors used to believe this reduced blood flow caused muscle cramps. An uncontrollable cramp could make swimming difficult and increase the risk of drowning. But now doctors know that isn’t true. Your body contains about 1.5 gallons of blood. That’s more than enough to safely digest food and swim at the same time. Next time at the pool, you don’t need to wait 30 minutes after lunch to jump back in. In fact, eating will give you energy for swimming!