Does chewing gum have unexpected health benefits?

Did you know that chewing gum is not only delicious but also good for your health. Right! Let’s find out together!

Gum (also called gum or bio-gum) is a soft, sticky gum designed to be chewed, not swallowed. They are a fairly common glue all over the world, associated with the childhood of many people. In addition to being delicious, they also help with weight loss, improve memory loss, prevent tooth decay and a host of other benefits.

Through this article, increaseheightblog.com will help you understand more deeply about birth-gums and their ability to improve health.

Learn more about chewing gum

The tradition of chewing gum seems to have emerged separately in many early civilizations. From there spread along with human evolution. Gum is proven to have existed since the Neolithic period. The oldest chewing gum is 6,000 years old, made from birch sap and was found in Kierikki, Finland.

Each of the ancient versions of birth-gum is naturally derived from tree sap and is popular in Mexico, countries in Central America, and the Caribbean. Sinh-gum was born because of the human need to chew. In the early days, people didn’t need birth-gum to be healthy. They need to stimulate their taste buds, clean their teeth and freshen their breath.

Today, each brand has different flavors of chewing gum. Taste is the competitive factor that creates a private brand. The rest, gum will include basic ingredients such as: plastic base, softener, sweetener and flavoring.

You will easily find gum in many different shapes and colors

Up to now, birth gum will include the following main types:

• Blowing gum
• Sugar-free gum
• Round gum
• Gum with filling
• Gum bars
• Gum strips
• Medicated gum
• Functional gum.

Nutritional content in chewing gum

According to the USDA, 100g of regular candy contains:

• 360 calories
• 3g fat
• 1mg sodium
• 97g of carbohydrates
• 4g fiber
• 66g sugar
• 2mg potassium

Health benefits of chewing gum

Helps reduce stress and anxiety

Have you noticed that chewing gum can help you relieve stress and feel calmer? Some people have given up the habit of biting their nails and shaking their feet when they are nervous thanks to chewing gum. This is proven in studies, the results of which show that chewing gum helps reduce cortisol, the hormone produced in response to stress.

Too much cortisol for a long time can cause damage to the body

Helps to lose weight, burn calories

According to a study conducted by the University of Liverpool, chewing gum can curb cravings, thereby helping you make healthier food choices. In the study, people who chewed gum ate 36 fewer calories on average than those who didn’t. This number may not sound very impressive, but in the long run, it will definitely bring weight loss effects. In addition, when you chew, your body burns 11 calories per hour.

Improve memory and concentration

In fact, chewing gum will help increase mental activity. Cognitive functions, such as concentration, memory and reflexes, improved when we chewed gum. This advancement comes from increasing blood flow to the brain through chewing. Some studies show an increase of up to 25%-40%. From there, increasing the amount of oxygen to the brain, helping to enhance memory and other cognitive functions.

Improve alertness

In addition to the ability to remember, many studies also show that chewing gum can increase alertness. When the jaw makes a chewing motion, the nerves involved in the feeling of euphoria are stimulated, while increasing blood flow. This can help you feel more alert or stay awake longer. Mint-flavored bio-gum is said to be particularly useful for this purpose.

Protect teeth

The American Dental Association recommends that people chew sugar-free gum for 20 minutes after a meal. Because it will help remove plaque on teeth, reduce tooth decay and reduce gingivitis. The cause comes from an increase in saliva flow when chewing, which reduces the acid that causes tooth decay. Remember to use sugar-free candy, as sugar can increase acid build-up. You should also look for candies that contain xylitol to reduce bacteria that cause tooth decay.

And beware of sorbitol, they can be irritating if you take a lot

Limit acid reflux and heartburn

This has been shown to be effective for some people. To reduce acid reflux and heartburn, they would chew bio-gum after eating. This way, the amount of acid in the esophagus will decrease and the saliva in the mouth will increase. However, not all birth-gums have this ability. Avoid using mint-flavored candies as they can increase acid levels and make heartburn symptoms worse.

Help quit smoking

Nicotine gum or polacrex nicotine is a well-known smoking cessation aid. They usually have a nicotine content of 2 – 4mg (equivalent to 1/3 of the amount of nicotine in a cigarette) which will reduce the amount of nicotine the body absorbs. At the same time, chewing gum also curbs the urge to smoke and helps avoid thousands of other harmful chemicals found in cigarettes.

Should you chew gum while working out?

The answer is no. Chewing gum while exercising can cause the following unpredictable consequences:

• May cause you to choke. This is one of the main reasons why you shouldn’t chew gum while exercising. If you’re doing weight training, that’s fine. But if you’re doing exercises that move a lot, like jumping rope or jogging, you’re more likely to choke.

Choking is annoying, if not dangerous

• Difficulty breathing. When you exercise vigorously, you will have to breathe through your mouth to provide more oxygen to the muscles, helping them work longer. And having gum in your mouth will make it difficult for you to open your mouth because you want to keep the gum from falling out. From there, it leads to shortness of breath, shortness of breath and rapid fatigue.
• Causes dry mouth. This is because chewing gum causes the body to produce more saliva. Your body salivates because it thinks you’re eating. This will waste energy and water in the body.

Reference source

Chewing Gum: Good or Bad? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/chewing-gum-good-or-bad Date of access: 12/24/2020

9 Surprising Benefits of Chewing Gum https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/benefits-of-chewing-gum/ Accessed date: 12/24/2020