Chewing gum is designed to be chewed for flavor, not swallowed. The simple answer to whether the calories count, even if the gum is spit out, is yes, partially. Chewing releases the caloric components into your saliva, which is then consumed. This means the calories are absorbed into your system whether you discard the spent gum or not.
The Source of Gum Calories
Chewing gum is composed of two main categories of ingredients: the non-caloric gum base and the soluble, caloric components. The gum base is the indigestible part, typically made of synthetic polymers, waxes, and elastomers that provide the chewy texture. Because the base is not broken down by the digestive system, it passes through the body unchanged and contributes zero calories.
The calories come exclusively from the soluble ingredients that dissolve in the mouth during chewing. These components include flavorings, softeners like glycerin, and sweeteners. In traditional gum, the sweetener is sugar, such as sucrose or corn syrup. For sugar-free varieties, the calories come from sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol, or maltitol.
How Calorie Absorption Works During Chewing
When chewing begins, the mechanical action breaks apart the gum, allowing saliva to dissolve the soluble sweeteners and flavorings. This sugary or sugar-alcohol-infused saliva is continuously swallowed in small amounts. The consumption of this dissolved mixture, not the swallowing of the gum base, accounts for the calorie intake.
Once swallowed, the sugar or sugar alcohol mixture travels to the stomach and small intestine, where the majority of absorption takes place. While a minimal amount of simple sugars might be absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth, the bulk of the caloric components is absorbed in the digestive tract. Because the gum base is a stable, non-soluble compound, it retains its structure and is harmlessly excreted.
Quantifying the Caloric Impact
The number of calories absorbed depends on the type of gum chosen. A single stick of traditional, sugar-sweetened gum contains between 10 and 15 calories, mostly derived from the sugar content. Virtually all soluble calories are extracted and consumed within the first few minutes of chewing, as the flavor dissipates quickly.
Sugar-free gum is lower in energy, containing only 2 to 6 calories per piece. This lower count is because sugar alcohols provide fewer calories per gram than sugar; for instance, they are counted as about two calories per gram, compared to four calories per gram for table sugar. Sugar alcohols are often only partially absorbed in the small intestine, with the remainder continuing to the large intestine. The energy is absorbed by the body, confirming that the calories count even when the gum itself is not ingested.