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JAYPLAY 08.30.2007
PHOTO BY SARAH LEONARD
If you've ever wondered if everything Mom and Dad told you growing up was actually true, some of your questions will finally be answered. Is the gum you swallowed in middle school still moving through your body? And does all that liquor you drank over the weekend explain why you can't do simple math on Monday? Our parents would like us to think so, but you'll find a lot of myths we've believed in over the years are actually far from the truth. Learn from the experts here and maybe you can teach the 'rents a thing or two.
DOES IT TAKE SEVEN YEARS TO DIGEST CHEWING GUM?
Although swallowing your bubble gum won't do your body any wonders, it definitely won't be
sticking to your gizzards for seven years. "It comes out with the rest of your solid wastes—through the same pathway, and almost always, right on schedule," says Karl Krusenlnick, a physics professor at the University of Sydney who has studied biomedical engineering. Because gum is actually made of a soluble fiber, it cannot be digested by our stomachs, so it moves right through like that corn-on-the-cob from your last barbeque. In fact, chewing gum can actually act as a laxative if Sorbitol, a common sweetener, is one of the gum's ingredients.
DOES EATING CHOCOLATE CAUSE ACNE?
No. Neither will those greasy french fries, sugar-coated doughnuts or even creamy