Does Gum Chewing Affect Your Health?

Chewing gum does effect a person's health, negatively or positively depending on the gum. The type of gum and the length of chewing are what determine how healthy or unhealthy gum chewing will be for an individual.

Calories

Chewing sugar-free gum can burn calories due to the energy used when chewing. However, gum that has sugar in it will cause an increase in calories when the gum juices are swallowed.

Sugar

If sugar is an ingredient in gum, then chewing it will not be healthy. This is especially true if the gum is chewed for long periods of time.

Teeth

As long as gum is sugar free, it can be good for teeth. Xylitol sweetener protects against bacteria and cavities. But if gum has sugar, it can be just as detrimental to your teeth's health as a candy bar.

Dangers

It's possible that the "gum base" ingredient in most chewing gums contains carcinogens in vinyl acetate. Gum may also cause an irregular level of stomach acid production if chewed often and for long periods of time.

Medicinal Gum

There is a popular nicotine gum designed for cigarette smokers who are trying to break their habit. These particular kinds of gum are healthy in terms of how they benefit persons addicted to a harmful substance.

References

• Gum Study
• Gum Myths