Selling Gum With Health Claims
Various ancient cultures around the world had their own "brands" of gum. The Greeks called it mastiche. Mayans chewed on the sap of the sapodilla tree and called it chicle. Native Americans chewed spruce tree sap. All probably had various tastes and their own natural health benefits. The American Dental Association says on its Web site that "chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay" and recommends looking for gum with its ADA-approved seal.
- Chewing gum after eating may actually have some protective features against cavity forming bacteria and aid in protecting enamel.
- Chewing gum promotes weight loss in more ways than one.. In a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, subjects were given sugarless gum and instructed to chew 100 times per minute for a period of 12 minutes. The measurement after the chewing activity resulted in an elevation in the metabolic rate, which burned an average of 70 kilocalories an hour. Plus, simply having something in the mouth decreases appetite.
- Gum chewing increases academic performance. Students with gum require fewer break-times, pay better attention and stay quiet longer. Maybe in the future, young gum chewers won't be punished!
- It is a myth that gum can stay in your stomach for years if swallowed. Experts agree that gum (with its synthetic ingredients and sorbitol) is passed through the body and not digested.
- If you experience temporomandibular joint problems (TMJ), chronic tension headaches or if you grind your teeth at night, it's best to not exacerbate them by gum chewing.
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