The average American chews nearly 2 pounds of gum each year. Most like the flavors or the mouth-freshening feel of mint gums, but there is far more to gum-chewing than what your taste buds experience. Scientists are continually finding new ways that gum can benefit us, from the alertness brought on by the simple activity of chewing to the potentially medically beneficial ingredients that can be added by gum manufacturers to turn it into the "delivery vehicle of the future".
Medical benefits from gum? You better believe it! Studies show that gum chewing is can help fight the development of cavities by stimulating the production of acid-neutralizing saliva. Xylitol, a common gum ingredient, has been shown to have more specific cavity-fighting properties, as well. It can also, as noted above, help to fight bad breath.
Gums available in Europe and Asia have ingredients like green tea extract, calcium and other nutritional supplements that would typically be found in a vitamin pill. Some children's gums already contain Vitamin-C, for instance. In addition to replacing vitamin pills and supplements, some doctors are considering gum as an alternative to pill-forms of prescription medicines because they would make medicine so easy to "take." Of course, the overall effectiveness of such a plan has not yet been thoroughly tested, although it is known that many substances are very easily absorbed through the gums, but because gum "can contain as many as 70 ingredients" it is certainly possible for thousands of different formulations to be put together.
Gum is prominently featured in areas of weight-loss research, as well. Some claim that the act of chewing helps them to control their hunger, while others rely on the freshness of strongly-flavored mint gums to put them off of eating other foods. A study published in Appetite last year found that gum-chewers ate about 36 fewer calories when snacking and reported fewer cravings. There are brands that add various forms of appetite suppressants to their products, as well.
Oh - and as a final note, students might want to (nicely) tell their teachers to do their own homework the next time he or she suggests that gum-chewing is a distraction in class. At least one study has shown that chewing improves memory function by increasing the flow of blood - and hence the amount of oxygen - to the brain. Sticking that gum to the underside of the desk, however, does not offer the same benefits, so if you do choose to make this point to the teacher, be sure to keep the gum in your mouth until class is over.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-21-2007 @ 3:52PM
Robyn said...
Ugh, gum gives me gas--not sure if it's the act of chewing (and swallowing air) or the sorbitol (or some other -tol).
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