Sean Spicer Swallows 35 Pieces Of Gum Every Day — Please Don’t Do That

We're learning quite a lot about Sean Spicer, our new White House press secretary and alternative-fact-fan. In addition to a fascination with Kardashian drama (#relatable), it turns out he also has quite the gum habit! In fact, The Cut reports that he chews — and swallows — 35 pieces of gum every day before noon. And, friends, we're a little worried about his tummy. Of course, we know that whole thing about swallowed gum staying in your stomach for seven years or whatever is just a myth: It doesn't get totally digested, but it does exit like everything else in whatever time period is normal for you. But there are other, gassier, reasons why you should probably stick to just a few pieces a day — and spit them out. First off, chewing gum often makes you swallow more air, a major cause of bloating. And the artificial sweetener in Spicer's favorite, Orbit cinnamon, will only contribute to that problem, and swallowing gum could contribute to constipation, too. According to the Mayo Clinic, large wads of gum have been a source of severe constipation in children. (For the record, though, others may experience a shift in bowel movements in the other direction when eating a bunch of artificially sweetened gum.) Bottom line, you just really don't want to be shoving that much gum into your intestinal tract. And because it really has zero nutritional value, most experts will just tell you not to swallow it — there's no point, and spitting it out might save your digestive tract some hassle. That said, in his WaPo profile, Spicer says he's actually brought up the gum-swallowing with his doctor — who tells him this habit is totally fine. So we're happy he's checking in with a medical professional, but if he feels a little...overinflated, we'd suggest getting a second opinion.