The Hidden Dangers of Chewing Gum
Written by Nichole DeHart

 

The 5 brand Solstice flavor gum is by far one of the best chewing gums. I can say this with certainty because I am a chewing gum aficionado. I have tried them all (sugar free, regular, even the dessert brands) and can confidently say that Solstice is one of the top flavors. If you know me well then you are accustomed to gum wrappers spilling out of my pocket and gym bag. Yes, some may say it is a problem, and by problem they mean addiction, but I merely brush them off saying that I could quit my pack a day any time! (It’s not that bad . . . well, maybe on some days it is).

 

I recently had to face the fact that my gum ‘habit’ may not be serving me well. I went on a hiatus recently and noticed some benefits.

 

1 – I saved a ton of money.

 

2 – My sugar cravings actually went down. Weird. I mean, I was always buying the sugar free kind so I figured I was just fine.

 

Well, this impelled me to do a little research on the * cough cough * downside of chewing gum. I, unfortunately, found some compelling arguments as to the benefits of not chewing gum. I have passed my grieving stage and am now composed enough to write about the downsides to chewing gum.

 

1.     You are giving yourself a shot of sugar every time you chew a stick. Even though it is a small amount, this leads to a small insulin spike every time you chew gum.  What about artificially flavored sugarless gum? Well, there are some downsides to these as well:
a.     There can still be an insulin response with artificial sweeteners due to the sweet taste and/or sugar alcohols.
b.     Chances are, one of the ingredients used in sugarless gum is phenylalanine (this is a component of aspartame).  High levels of phenylalanine can result in brain damage and people with phenylketonuria (a disease where one can’t digest phenylalanine) must avoid it completely. I am guessing one who chews gum isn’t taking in large doses of phenylalanine but anything that may result in brain damage is something I want to avoid.
2.     Chewing gum can cause severe wear and tear on the cartilage in your jaw. Excessive gum chewing can lead to chronic tightness, specifically in two muscles close to your temples. The tightness put on those muscles can create pressure on some of the nerves near your head, causing some to have chronic headaches.
3.     Chewing gum on a regular basis can get you used to having sweet things throughout the day. This may increase your desire for sugar-laced items. If you are trying to reduce your dependency on sugar, chewing gum probably isn’t the best substitute.
4.     All that salivating when chewing gum can prep your stomach for an expected feeding. This may leave you never feeling quiet satiated and constantly hungry.

 

These are just a few of the side effects I found while researching the effects of chewing gum. There are even more out there (Sorbitol can apparently increase the incidence of diarrhea) but the ones listed were the most compelling cases.

 

After this research, I am vowing to reduce/severely limit my gum intake. Instead, I will opt for a travel size toothbrush and toothpicks in dire needs. Heck, I might even try oil pulling  tomorrow morning!