By Jessica Nguyen, Staff Writer
Pop! The bubble bursts, and the gum returns to your mouth; your teeth begin chew down on the soft rubber, its flavor exploding onto your taste buds, creating an aftertaste of pure euphoria and sweetness. Chewing gums seems harmless and innocent, another way of freshening your breath or relieving stress, but what if it could actually get you in a sticky situation?
Some people swear that chewing gum helps them eat less but certain flavors of gum may be problematic to your diet. A study from the University at Buffalo revealed that people who chewed mint gum before eating were less likely to eat healthier foods, like fruits, but still as likely to eat junk food. The effect of chewing gum is like brushing your teeth before eating fruit or drinking orange juice.
“For some people, mint makes fruit taste awful,” said Dr. Jennifer Temple, director of the Nutrition and Health Research Laboratory.
The study also showed that people who chew gum a lot ate fewer meals but more calories when they did eat.
Some chewing gum brands also contain controversial ingredients, like butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) that helps preserve foods by preventing fats from becoming rancid. High doses of BHT in animals have shown to cause cancer. Titanium dioxide is also found in some gums to whiten products and give it a smooth texture. High doses in animals have caused damage to the nervous system and organs in mice. Gum also includes aspartame, which is an artificial sweetener and is claimed to cause problems like headaches, obesity and cancer. However, these chemicals are only found in small amounts and cannot cause harm unless you chew a lot of gum.
Sugar-free gum has laxatives that comes from the sugar alcohol used to sweeten the gum and could cause digestive distress and diarrhea along with FODMAPs, or fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols, that are resistant to digestion and can affect your small intestines’ bacteria. FODMAPs can be especially bothersome for people with sensitive stomachs and irritable bowel syndrome. When FODMAPs get fermented in the colon and used as fuel by bacteria, hydrogen is produced, which can lead to gas, bloating, stomach cramps, pain and constipation. FODMAPs are additionally osmotically active and contribute to diarrhea.
If gum continues to stick to your diet, at least chew sugar-free gum made with xylitol. Sugar-sweetened gum has bad effects on your teeth because the bad bacteria in your mouth digest it, leading to an increase of plaque on your teeth and tooth decay. According to the American Dental Association, the act of chewing gum increases salivary flow in your mouth, which can wash away the acid produced after your food is broken down.
As long as it is sugar-free gum, gum may also have some positive effects. Chewing gum has been linked to improvements in brain function including alertness, memory, understanding and decision-making. Although this link is not fully understood, theories include that chewing gum increases blood flow to the brain. Chewing gum can also reduce levels of stress hormones like cortisol.
Even though you may only chew gum for several minutes, the consequences will stick with you for the rest of your life. And while the effects of chewing gum may seem gum-believable, they are real. So, remember to chew-se (choose) good choices, Barons!
