Is swallowing gum bad for you? Asking for a friend (Sean Spicer)

It sounds like an "alternative fact": Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, apparently swallows dozens of pieces of gum every day.

Spicer said he rips through pieces of Orbit cinnamon gum to keep his palate feeling clean, according to an August story in the Washington Post that found a second life on Twitter this week.

"Two and a half packs by noon," Spicer told the Post in August, when he was still the chief strategist and communications director of the Republican National Committee.

Via Giphy

While swallowing dozens of pieces of gum may not sound like a great idea, it isn't as bad as popular myth would have you believe.

"I talked to my doctor about it, he said it’s no problem,” Spicer told the Post.

Contrary to what your mother may have told you, swallowing gum won't lead to a massive pile of rubber globs building up in your belly for years. Gum will eventually wend its way into the toilet within a day or two.

"It generally isn't harmful if swallowed," the Mayo Clinic says.

The enzymes in your stomach can break down the carbohydrates, oils and alcohols used in each piece of gum. While gastric acids aren't strong enough to break down the remaining rubber polymers, your digestive system can still work to push it out.

Doctors still generally advise that people don't swallow their gum. It can be a choking hazard, and there's zero nutritional benefit.

It's unclear whether Spicer's gum habit will only intensify in his new role. What's certain, however, is that he won't be eating Dippin' Dots anytime soon.