10 facts about the benefits and harms of chewing gum

On September 23, 1848, our world changed forever. And all because it was on this day that the world’s first chewing gum factory opened. Since then, “gum” has firmly established itself in our daily lives.
To chew or not to chew?
The debate about whether chewing gum is harmful or useful has been going on for a very long time. But the truth is that people were always chewing something – rubber, larch resin or aromatic leaves. So “gum” is a phenomenon, although controversial, but still entrenched. Perhaps this is why it is so difficult for scientists to come to an unambiguous conclusion: how useful chewing gum is, and how harmful it is.

What is the use of chewing gum?

• Gum causes increased salivation, and a large amount of saliva helps clean the teeth from plaque.
• It causes the release of gastric juice, so chewing gum after eating, you help the stomach digest food.
• Chewing gum helps to get rid of excess calories! To such a stunning conclusion came American scientists. It turns out that chewing gum speeds up metabolism by 19 percent. In addition, gum reduces the feeling of hunger.
• If you have recently undergone bowel surgery, chew gum. During chewing, the secretory function of the intestine is activated and more digestive hormones are released, which contributes to the speedy recovery of the intestine. Gum can be a good antidepressant, according to British scientists. When we chew, we repeat the movements of the mouth that we did in infancy. And this directly contributes to calming and the emergence of a sense of security.

What's wrong with chewing gum?

• Gum contributes a lot to the destruction of teeth. With prolonged use, chewing gum can destroy fillings, crowns and bridges between teeth.
• Salivation when chewing gum, although it cleans the teeth, but at the same time creates an acid-base imbalance. And this means that chewing gum on an empty stomach, you put yourself in danger of getting an ulcer or gastritis.
• Chewing gum leads to forgetfulness. Another unexpected ability of gum, discovered by English scientists. It turns out that our brains are so focused on making chewing movements that it affects short-term memory, and you can forget where you left your keys or how much you paid for that gum.
• Gum can cause allergies. If you look at the composition of gum, you will see an infinite number of "E". Substances denoted by this letter can be extremely dangerous for our body, in particular, to cause an allergic reaction.
• Gum contains dangerous sweeteners - aspartame and glutamate. Scientists have proved their negative effect on the nerve cells of the body. Especially strongly these substances affect the developing body. Therefore, pregnant women and children are not recommended to use chewing gum.

Source: estet-portal.com