Unlike some types of sweet treats, chewing gum allows you to garner a few health benefits. These perks include fewer cavities and, potentially, an improved attention span. There are also some drawbacks as well, however, so people with certain health conditions shouldn't chew gum. Choosing the right type of gum will help you get the most out of your gum-chewing experience while minimizing any potential risks.

Improved Dental Health

Choose a gum featuring the American Dental Association seal, as these varieties are most likely to have potential dental health benefits. Chewing gum increases saliva, which helps wash extra acid and bits of food out of your mouth when you swallow. This doesn't mean you can skip brushing and flossing, but a study published in the "Journal of Applied Oral Science" in April 2007 found that chewing sugar-free gum reduces cavities, especially when you do so right after meals. Choose the type of artificial sweetener carefully though. A gum sweetened with xylitol is better for preventing cavities than one with sorbitol, according to a review article published in the "Journal of the American Dental Association" in February 2006.

Weight-Loss Benefits

You might be able to use sugar-free gum in your journey toward weight loss. A study published in "Appetite" in May 2007 found that chewing gum could help decrease your desire for sweets and snacks, as well as possibly suppress your appetite -- leading to potential weight-loss benefits. This reduction in snacking might be due to people already having something in their mouth, and it only amounted to a reduction of about 60 calories per day. But the act of chewing gum itself burns about 11 calories per hour. These calories could add up to a small amount of weight loss over time, particularly when coupled with additional healthy lifestyle changes.

Other Potential Benefits

Chewing gum isn't just good for your teeth; it can improve your health in other areas as well. While chewing gum didn't improve memory, it did help improve people's attention spans, made them more alert and reduced their reaction times in a study published in "Nutritional Neuroscience" in February 2010. Additionally, if you're having certain types of surgery, you may want to chew gum regularly while you're recovering. A preliminary study published in the journal "Hepato-Gastroenterology" in 2006 found that people who chewed gum three times per day after surgery for colorectal cancer were able to pass stool sooner than those who didn't chew gum. This could lead to a quicker switch from a liquid to a solid diet and potentially improve the recovery of patients. Further larger studies are necessary to verify this effect.

May Worsen Certain Conditions

Chewing gum isn't recommended for people with chronic tension headaches, those who grind their teeth or someone with temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders, according to the chairman of the Head and Neck Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Michael Benninger, in an article published on the CNN website. If you suffer from gas, flatulence or bloating, you may also want to avoid chewing gum, as this introduces more gas into your digestive tract and could worsen these conditions.

Other Considerations

Sugar-sweetened gum might not have the same benefits of artificially sweetened gum. This sugar in this type of gum increases its calories, making it less likely to be helpful for weight loss. Sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth that produce cavity-causing acids and may increase plaque formation. High doses of sorbitol, found in some artificially sweetened gums, can also have a laxative effect, so don't go overboard with this type of gum.

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