Chewing Gum: Pros and Cons
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Today, 115 companies worldwide produce chewing gum. Every year they release 4 trillion packs, and each of us has time to chew about three hundred pieces of gum during this time.
The history of chewing gum goes back many centuries. The ancient Greeks chewed the resin of the mastic tree, the Mayan tribes chewed the frozen juice of the hevea, the Indians chewed the sap of coniferous trees, and the ancient Slavs chewed the dried resin of larch. These simple gifts of nature served as the first dental and hygiene products: they disinfected the oral cavity and helped reduce bad breath odor.
In 1869, the enterprising American, Thomas Adams, added licorice, sugar, corn syrup to the tasteless resin, and Black Jack appeared in New York stores — the world's first chewing gum.
Sugar-Free Gum Is Not Better Than Gum with Sugar
Sugar-free chewing gum is sweet because it contains sugar substitutes. According to the decision of the International Association of Sweeteners, this category includes fructose, xylitol, and sorbitol. Most sugarless gum producers actively use sorbitol. Its caloric content is lower than gum with xylitol and fructose, which contain the same amount of calories as sugar.
As shown by the results from research, all the samples presented contained an acceptable rate of sorbitol instead of sugar—1-2% of the total mass. Nevertheless, even a harmless sweetener can add extra inches at the waist. Sorbitol is not involved in the metabolism and practically does not have calories, but it provokes a strong feeling of hunger.
Sweet Deception
Sorbitol is a natural sweetener derived from grapes, apples or rowan. In humans, it breaks down into sorbitan and oleic acid, which get completely absorbed. A few pieces of sugarless gum per day can even be useful for the figure. The scheme is simple: when we chew, gastric juice is produced more actively, which means that lunch and dinner are digested faster.
But it is no coincidence that manufacturers urge to chew gum only after eating. If you "freshen breath" between meals, gastric juice will cause irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. The more often you do this, the greater the risk of chronic gastritis, colitis, and even an ulcer.
In addition, sorbitol has a laxative effect: exceeding the allowable daily intake of 25 mg per kilogram of weight, you may find yourself in an unpleasant situation. More than ten grams of sorbitol per day cause stomach discomfort and flatulence. And if you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, then chewing gum, even without sugar, should be eliminated completely.
Do not forget about the fact that chewing gum contains all sorts of E-additives, thickeners, dyes, and coatings. In small quantities, they are harmless, but an excessive amount will inevitably affect the state of the stomach, cholesterol levels, and may even trigger asthma.
Smokers are at particular risk. Like chewing gum, smoking activates the production of gastric juice. If the stomach is empty, the juice begins to eat away at its walls. Chewing gum after a cigarette on an empty stomach increases the risk of gastritis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
We asked the best dentist in NJ, Marina Shraga, to tell how us chewing gum affects our teeth. She said, “Salivation, which is enhanced by chewing, promotes self-cleaning of the teeth, plus the chewing muscles receive additional training, and massage of the gums prevents periodontitis."
