Health Benefit or harm:Chewing gum

Bubble gum how is it made:Video

Much research is underway, financed by the USA military, to create a chewing gum to replace the toothbrush. Some commercial companies claim to have "medical" chewing gums already on sale to the public, but whether these claims are true or false, is uncertain.

Early chewing gums were marketed partly as palliatives, using ingredients and flavors that people accepted as folk remedies: licorice to soothe the throat; clove for toothache; spearmint to settle the stomach and relieve bad breath.

The Wrigley Science Institute suggests chewing gum can reduce cavities, aid in dieting, improve concentration, and relieve stress.

Unusually for a confectionery, chewing gum does have some health benefits. While the sugar in chewing gum promotes tooth decay, studies have shown that chewing sugar-free gum after meals may make tooth decay less likely. Chewing gum containing xylitol probably inhibits the formation of cavities. Sugar-free chewing gum stimulates saliva production, and chewing after eating helps to neutralize the effect of acids on the teeth.

Chewing gum has also been identified with improved memory. UK psychologists found that people who chewed throughout tests of both long-term and short-term memory produced significantly better scores than people who did not. But gum chewing did not boost memory-linked reaction times, used as a measure of attention. Subjects who chewed gum scored 25% higher than the control group on immediate word recall tests, and 36% higher on delayed word recall tests. Scientists point to three, non-mutually exclusive reasons, the simplest of which attributes the higher scores to the gum-chewers' increased heart rate (and, by extension, increased blood flow to the brain).

The mechanical action of chewing gum can counteract the irritation caused by changes in air pressure during air travel.

Some oral surgeons and orthodontists believe chewing gum can lead to problems with the temporomandibular joint, and recommend people not chew gum if they experience headaches, muscle fatigue, or pain in their jaw after doing so.

Some people chew gum to help them resist the urge to smoke. There is even gum with nicotine in it that helps smokers quit .

While chewing gum may help you feel better when you're stressed, don't overdo it, advises the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.Go HERE What happens if you swallow chewing gum? Go here Swallowed chewing gum?
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