Facts And Benefits Of Chewing Gum

What Is Chewing Gum?

Chewing gum is a rubbery soft, substance which is generally designed to be chewed but not swallowed.

Recipes can vary between brands, but all chewing gums have the following basic ingredients:

Gum: The non-digestible, rubbery base used to give gum it’s chewy quality.

Preservatives: These are added to extend shelf life. The most popular choice is an organic compound called butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).

Softeners: These are used to retain moisture and prevent the gum from hardening. They can include waxes like paraffin or vegetable oils.

Sweeteners: Popular ones include cane sugar, beet sugar and corn syrup.

Flavorings: Added to give a desired flavor. They can be natural or synthetic.

Most chewing gum manufacturers keep their exact recipes as a top secret and they often refer to their specific combination of gum, resin, filler, softeners and antioxidants as their “gum base.” All ingredients used in the processing of chewing gum have to be “food grade” and classified as fit for human consumption.

Here are the benefits Of Chewing Gum

Improves Concentration

Now that we increasingly rely on technology, it’s easy to get distracted with all of the articles and images online.

The repetition and the monotonous chewing helps people’s minds stay alert; gum chewers have been shown to have quicker reaction times and a great ability to recall facts according to a study.

Protects And Whitens Teeth

Studies have shown that having sugar-free gum after meals can help neutralize acids that can be harmful to your teeth.

Chewing gum also increases saliva production, which helps wash away food particles that can fester in between teeth.

Combats Stress

Some of the studies have been shown that chewing gum reduces the stress hormone cortisol, making it an easy way to make you a feel little less stressed.

And since it can help you concentrate, it’s easier to achieve a bit of a meditative effect with the monotonous chewing; its sort of like an offshoot of deep breathing.

Keeps You Alert And Awake

The constant chewing when you are snacking on a piece of gum actually stimulates your facial muscles.

This promotes blood flow around your body, since it is not a voluntary bodily reaction like blinking.

The blood flow will keep your alert and focused when you are doing something long and boring like driving long distances.

Manages Your Weight

Sugar-free gum is one of the great ways to curb your eating cravings because it acts as a basically calorie-free snack that you can chew on for hours.

It is also super effective at curving cravings and addictions, making it easier to resist unhealthy snacks.

Though it won’t help you shed significant weight on its own, it can help you make more beneficial small decisions, which will lead to healthier habits.

Improves Digestion

Don’t get me wrong—swallowing gum will likely not help your digestive system one bit.

But the saliva that you produce from chewing builds up acid in your stomach.

This will help your body digest foods more efficiently!

Sharpens Your Memory

Gum’s aforementioned ability to improve our concentration can also help our short term memory.

Chewing also improves blood flow because your muscles are engaged, so this means that more blood is being pumped to the brain!

Combats Acid Reflux

Mint gum is an age-old way to treat the nausea disease.

The palette-cleaning flavor helps to heal the feeling of dizziness, while your saliva can help flush down food that can be causing it in the first place.

Curbs Certain Addictions

Chewing gum can be a great way to distract yourself from smoking cigarette cravings with a different kind of oral fixation.

There are also different types of nicotine-filled gum which you can chew to help curve your impulse to smoke.

If also helps curve food cravings that are hard to say no to in the moment, as long as you have something to chew on and concentrate on, you can resist the urge to relent.

Gets Rid Of Your “Earworms”

Though this is definitely not the most pressing medical manner, it’s something that almost all of us have suffered at one time or another.

“Earworms” are when you get a song stuck in your head and find yourself incessantly singing it or thinking about it throughout the day.

But studies show that the same parts of your brain that play a song on repeat become distracted by the repetitive nature of chewing gum so you can get that song out of your head!

Chewing gum is a candy that’s designed to be chewed but not swallowed. It’s made by mixing a gum base with sweeteners and flavourings.

But inspite of so many good points about chewing gum it is not a full proof thing as we are still not aware about the exact ingredients which goes in making of it and hence it is not suggested to consume it on daily basis and make it your habit. Also it is not recommended to children below 14 years