Metro English-352 - 如果一直都把口香糖咽到肚子里，会怎样？
WHAT IF YOU ALWAYS SWALLOW YOUR CHEWING GUM?
You chew it. You stretch it. You blow it. And, be honest, sometimes you stick it on things. But what happens to your body when you swallow chewing gum? And, not just once but all the time?
你嚼它。你拉扯它。你吹它。而且，老实说，有时候你还会把它粘在什么东西上。但是当你吞下口香糖时，你的身体会发生什么事呢？而且，不是一次而是总是？
If you always swallow your gum, could it plug up your body? Is it true that it could kill you?
如果你总是吞下口香糖，它会把你的身体堵住吗？它真的会让你丧命吗？
It’s minty, fruity, and mmm, delicious. We love it so much that globally, it’s a $29 billion industry, that’s expected to double by 2025. Chewing gum might even help your health. A study from Swinburne University said that chewing gum can help reduce stress levels. And a 2002 study showed that chewing a piece of sugar-free gum could improve your short-term memory.
它有薄荷味的，水果味的，而且嗯，很好吃。我们非常喜欢它，全球范围内，这是一个290亿美元的产业，预计到2025年将翻一番。嚼口香糖甚至可以帮助你的健康。斯文伯恩大学的一项研究显示，嚼口香糖有助于减轻压力。2002年的一项研究表明，嚼一块无糖口香糖可以改善你的短期记忆。
But it also contains many ingredients used in things like caulking, white glue, and plastic bags. So is it safe to swallow gum? Let’s start by saying that gum does not stay in your stomach for seven years. You knew that, right?
但它也含有许多用于补漏剂、白胶和塑料袋的成分。那么吞下口香糖安全吗？先告诉大家，口香糖不会在你的胃里停留七年。你知道的，对吧？
A healthy body can expel a piece of gum in a few days. So, swallowing a piece of gum from time to time isn’t going to kill you. But if you always choose to gobble down your gum, it could be another story. The problem is, gum doesn’t break down like other food.
健康的身体能在几天内排出一块口香糖。所以，时不时地吞下一块口香糖不会害死你的。但如果你总是选择狼吞虎咽，那就另当别论了。问题在于，口香糖不会像其他食物一样分解。
Gum, like some seeds and corn, can turn into indigestible masses called bezoars. They can accumulate in your digestive tract, and even cause a blockage. It’s because gum is a kind of rubber. Originally made of chicle, a sap from the sapodilla tree in Central America, it was synthetized in a laboratory after World War II.
口香糖，像一些种子和玉米，可以变成不可消化的物质，也就是胃肠结石。它们会积聚在你的消化道，甚至造成阻塞。因为口香糖像一种橡胶。它最初是由糖胶树胶制成的，糖胶树胶是一种产于中美洲的皂荚树的汁液，是二战后在实验室合成的。
Do you still want to try this? Seriously? All righty then.
你还想试试吗？真的？那好吧。
You’ve been swallowing several pieces of gum each day, for a few days. And they build up in your digestive system. If foods, fluids, gastric acids, and gas build up behind the blockage, it could create pressure.
几天来，你每天都要吞下几块口香糖。它们在你的消化系统中堆积。如果食物、液体、胃酸和气体在堵塞物后面积聚，就会产生压力。
You would probably experience bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation, among other things. And pain. You would definitely feel pain. You should probably pack a few things and seek treatment at the closest hospital.
你可能会出现腹胀、腹泻、呕吐和便秘等症状。还有疼痛。你肯定会感到疼痛。你应该收拾东西去最近的医院看病。
If it’s a partial blockage, then you’re lucky. It’s easier to treat the problem. You’ll likely get intravenous fluids to rehydrate your body. A catheter into your bladder will drain out your urine. And a tube into your stomach would relieve pressure, swelling, and vomiting.
如果是局部堵塞，那你是幸运的。这个问题处理起来比较容易。你很可能需要静脉输液来补充水分。插入膀胱的导管会排出你的尿液。再插根胃管可以缓解压力、肿胀和呕吐。
But if you have a complete blockage, it could tear you apart. Your intestines could rupture, leaking harmful bacteria into your abdominal cavity. That could kill you. Even if your stomach or intestines don’t rupture, a blockage can prevent blood from getting to other parts of your intestines. That can cause infection, tissue death, sepsis, and multiple organ failures.
但如果是完全堵塞，那你就糟了大罪了。你的肠子可能会破裂，有害细菌会漏进你的腹腔。那会是致命的。即使你的肠胃没有破裂，堵塞也会阻止血液进入肠子的其他部位。会导致感染、组织死亡、败血症和多器官衰竭。
And that could kill you too. Just in case you’re wondering. In both cases, you might need to go under the knife and that would be no fun. So it’s a terrible idea to keep swallowing your chewing gum.
你想知道结果吗，这样也会要你命的。这两种情况下，你都可能需要去开刀，这可是很没不好玩的，所以把口香糖咽到肚子里真是个糟糕的主意。