Is chewing gum bad for you?

E arlier, chewing gum was made of a substance called Chicle. Chicle is a latex sap that comes from the sapodilla tree (native to Central America). In other words, Chicle is a form of rubber. After 1945,scientists came up with an artificial gum base which is made of a synthetic rubber as a substitute for Chicle. Modern chewing gum is composed of a gum base- a synthetic rubber,sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polio coating. Its texture is reminiscent of rubber because of the physical-chemical properties of its polymer, plasticizer, and resin components, which contribute to its elastic-plastic, sticky, chewy characteristics.

Benefits of Chewing Gum:

• It controls bad breath
• It helps to control nail biting
• It serves as a good exercise for gums

Demerits of chewing gum: When it comes to chewing gum, which millions use almost daily, then time is opportune for us to understand the science and reasoning behind it.

The main demerits are:-

Chewing gum pushes you to crave for sweets:

We human beings, have around 10000 sweet buds in the mouth and down there. The more sweet you taste, the more your taste buds crave for it. The same is true about brain also. Brain has a craving center too. The more you taste sweet, the more it craves for it. In case we expose ourselvesless to sweet tastes, from naturally sweet foods or artificial sweeteners, the less our taste buds will crave them.

Artificial sweeteners, being sweet in affect, encourage sugar cravings also and hence dependence on sugar. Moreover repeated exposure leads to flavor preference. As per experts a strong correlation exists between a person’s customary intake of a flavor and his preferred intensity for that flavor.

Chewing gum can be addictive: Sweet tastes, activate the same reward pathways (gives pleasure) in the brain that are triggered with drug addiction.In a study when rats were given two preferences i.e. whether to choose cocaine or saccharin sweetenedwater, the 94% of the rats chose sweetened water. Moreover, those who regularly consume artificial sweeteners may experience a dampened affect from actual sugar or sugar products. This state of mind, eventually lead you to crave more for sweets. A negative correlation between artificial sweetener use and amygdala [part of the limbic system in brain] response to sucrose ingestion was observed.

Misdirect your digestion:

Any chewing signals that food is coming into the stomach. Brain prepares your body to digest food, releasing a good number of acids, enzymes, and digestive hormones in the stomach. Our gut has a direct nerve connection with our brain. And when we start chewing, we trigger innumerable metabolic reactions within our body. Now stomach ispreparatory ready to digest, but in chewing gum there is no food reaching into the stomach. More or less it is like a fake mastication or rumination. Conversely, gum works well to stimulate digestive juices that is why it is suggested for people who’ve undergone GI surgery to increase bowel motility while they are still unable to eat food at full. Needless to add that it doesn’t exert beneficial effects for everyone. We need to seek the advice of a Doctor.

Gum may precipitate heart burn or indigestion:

Some people experience more heartburn or indigestion from chewing gum, since acid levels in stomach, rise to match the food your body expects to digest, where as food never arrives in the stomach. Gum chewing also lead to bloating as we swallow air while chewing.

Gum can kill some of the good bacteria:

Just about everything we eat affects our gut bacteria. Certain foods, such as vegetables, support the growth of good bacteria while certain foods or substances harm these populations. A recent study showed that artificial sweeteners have negative affect on our good bacteria (probiotics) and negatively impact our metabolism- the process of digestionwhich gives birth to weight increase and other life threatening hormonal diseases.

Gum chewing can lead to food sensitivities:

In our primitive days – hunter-gatherer days – our ancestors, used to eat by the seasons. That meant we’d only have certain plant and animal foods available at specific times of the year. Nowadays, we can locally buy food produced all over the world at any time of the year and many foods have become daily staples. This has led to more food sensitivities. But if you’re struggling with chronic digestive issues or other inflammatory symptoms, you might be advised by the doctor to try laying off the gum habit a bitfor a bit. It will not be out of place to mention that most of the gums containsalicylic acid, lecithin and other weird additives to produce allergic reactions.

Chewing gum may make you hungry very often:

Many people feel more hungry than usual after chewing gum, even after having a large meal that would normally sustain for 3 or 4 hours.Our brain is smart. When we taste sweet, the signal goes to brain that more sweet and calories are coming. After glucose ingestion serotonin level increase in our body that gives pleasure. But in case of chewing gum, the brain does not recognize artificial sweet and serotonin reaction does not happen i. esuppresses the serotonin reaction. This leaves our body confused, unsatisfied, and hungry for real food, which medical experts are telling usrepeatedly. Add to this, the confusion your body gets when chewing gum, is the release of digestive juices only to find that real food do not enters your stomach, and you have a double whammy effect on hunger levels.

Gum and diabetics:

A prime reason people choose gum and artificially sweetened products, is to cut back on sugar and to control sugar levels. Earlier research informed that artificial sweeteners do not and cannot raise the blood sugar. But a recent study revealed that people who consume the most artificial sweeteners were more likely to have blood sugar problems. Though every human body is different and affect has skewness factor loaded in it.

Gum confuses your satiety [hunger satisfaction] signals:

Your body is smart enough to find when it doesn’t get the real thing. Part of how our body regulates food intake is the release of gut hormones, some of which are called “satiety peptides”. When this process works normally, you eat food and your body releases these satiety peptides and leptin hormone to tell you when it’s had enough. But this doesn’t happen after eating artificial sweeteners or from chewing artificially sweetened gum. In a study comparing satiety from real sugar verses artificial sweeteners, researchers compared the release of gastrointestinal satiety peptides following ingestion. The artificial sweeteners they tested included aspartame, acesulfame K, and sucralose. The carbohydrate sweeteners (real sugar) triggered satiety and the release of satiety peptides, whereas none of the artificial sweeteners had this effect.

Carbohydrate s, protein and fat consumption result in increased satiety and fullness. In contrast, loads of artificial sweeteners do not affect gastrointestinal peptide secretion with minimal effects on hunger.

Of late, gum chewing has become a fashion-courtesy demonstrative effect-affecting our health as physiotherapists say in one voice it is giving rise to many neck issues. May be, moderation is the key, but certainly not a cure for your nail biting bad habit or to serve as an exam stress reliever.

Surinder Shaun Kochhar

Conclusion:

We need not be against chewing gum once for all. You can grab an occasional piece to freshen your breath, but you can try to chew gum without artificial sweeteners. We should use xylitol [a sugar alcohol] -sweetened gums which are available at leading health food stores.

Eating the real food insmall amounts is always better than the artificial stuff. If you chew gum, in succession, chances areyou will be going to be hungrier in an hour and a half after a decent sized meal.

mothers: A Very Happy and Prosperous Mother’s Day!! Long Live Reverend Mother.