Chewing gum for health?

By: David Swartzentruber

Gum chewing is still viewed in some circles as a "bad habit". However, increasingly health benefits are being attributed to gum chewing.

These include: lowering blood pressure, increasing mental acuity, neutralizing stomach acidity, freshening breath and lowering tooth decay especially with xylitol gum. The BBC even reports gum chewing can increase breast size.

Chewing gum has a lengthy history. In 1993, archaeologists found 9000-year-old gum embedded in a floor of an ancient dwelling on the Swedish island of Orust.

The Grecians chewed mastic gum (pronounced mas-tee-ka), which is the resin obtained from the bark of the mastic tree, a shrub like tree found mainly in Greece and Turkey. The Grecian women especially, favored chewing mastic gum to clean their teeth and sweeten their breath.

It wasn't until 1869 that modern day gum products first appeared and over a century later its health benefits are being researched and touted by gum manufacturers.

A chewing gum that the makers say can help enhance the size, shape and tone of the breasts has proved to be a big hit in Japan.

B2Up says its Bust-Up gum, when chewed three or four times a day, can also help improve circulation, reduce stress and fight ageing.

The gum works by slowly releasing compounds contained in an extract from a plant called Pueraria mirifica.

In theory, this helps to keep the muscle tissue in good order. Pueraria mirifica, also known as Kwao Krua, is a species found in Thailand and Burma. The plant's underground tubers contain a number of chemicals called phytoestrogens - natural compounds that mimic the effects of the female sex hormone estrogen.

Responding to hearsay that chewing gum has other health benefits Wrigley (the gum company) has announced the creation of the Wrigley Science Institute, with the aim of pursuing research to prove that gum chewing will help keep weight down, improve focus, and reduce stress. The company's CIO (Chief Innovation Officer) says that there's always been anecdotal evidence of this, and that it's just common sense. The company is taking this surprisingly seriously, looking to get their work published in peer-reviewed journals.

In the UK a leading dentist says child tooth decay could be significantly reduced if schoolchildren were encouraged to chew sugar-free gum.

One significant cause of the problem is that children are drinking more carbonated drinks.

When drunk between meals, these drinks cause the mouth to become more acidic. This softens the enamel - the outer protective coating of the teeth - and increases the risk of decay.

Dr. Paula Moynihan, president of the nutrition group of the International Association for Dental Research, told a conference of the British Nutrition Foundation that the UK should follow the lead of Finland, where sugar-free chewing gum is given to nursery school children.

Dr Moynihan said gum containing xylitol, a sweetener made from the bark of the silver birch, had two major benefits for teeth. Chewing gum has long been known to stimulate saliva, which helps to clear food particles.

Research has also suggested that xylitol reduces the number of potentially harmful bacteria in the mouth.

Gum chewing could someday replace tooth brushing. The U.S. military is working to develop a gum for soldiers too busy to brush. The gum contains a special bacteria-fighting agent to prevent plaque, cavities and gum disease.

Chewing may also be good for your digestive tract. American research late last year found that patients who chew gum after a certain type of colon surgery have shorter hospital stays than those who don't. In a study of 102 patients who had laparoscopic colon surgery, those who chewed gum went home, on average, one day earlier than those who didn't. The gum, researchers said, tricked the patient's digestive system, stimulating it as though the patient was eating, reducing postoperative problems.

Swallowing gum once in a while does not cause digestion problems. The gum passes out of your system – albeit in the same state it entered – in the same length of time and same fashion as all other food you swallow.

The most controversial case associated with gum chewing occurred in 1992 when Singapore banned it.

The ban was revised in 2004. It bans the import and sale of chewing gum in Singapore. Since 2004, chewing gum of therapeutic value has been allowed into Singapore following the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

Expect to see more gum chewing in Bangkok, as the practice becomes enveloped in the glow of being beneficial to health.