Chewing gum is popular: according to estimates, every German chews 100 pieces of gum a year. Even children are often enthusiastic about chewing gum bubbles and the colorful balls from the gumball machine, but adults also like chewing gum. The many different varieties are chewed for a wide variety of reasons: Some use gum for dental care, while others chew nicotine gum when a craving for a cigarette overcomes them.
What is chewing gum anyway?
Chewing gum is a mass that is flexible and easily malleable, tastes sweet or sour, and can be chewed on for up to several hours without dissolving. Chewing gum can be made of three different basic ingredients:
- One of them is mastic, a soft resin of the mastic pistachio tree. These chewing gums are preferably chewed in the Arab region.
- The chewing gum crude mass Chicle comes from the white milky juice of the fruit of the mush apple tree.
- However, the largest part of chewing gum crude mass is produced synthetically. Basic materials for this represent plastics from petroleum, sugar, fillers and flavors.
Varieties and applications
For a long time, chewing gums have not only been chewed to pass the time, but have been used for various purposes. As a result, a large market has developed with different products, so that there are now many types of chewing gum, each promising different effects:
- Nicotine gums make it easier for smokers to kick the habit. In this regard, it is recommended to chew a nicotine gum every time you have a craving for cigarettes, and you should not exceed a certain number of gums per day. Chewing dissolves the nicotine in a nicotine gum, which enters the blood through the mucous membranes in the mouth. A nicotine gum is not addictive, but can cause some side effects such as dizziness, nausea, indigestion and irritation of the throat.
- Caffeine gums are meant to replace coffee or teas. By chewing, the caffeine dissolves here too, is immediately absorbed by the mucous membranes and should help to stay awake. There are different varieties, which are added with different amounts of caffeine.
- Those who suffer from travel sickness while traveling have the option of taking a chewing gum against travel sickness. This releases the active ingredient dimenhydrinate. In the brain, dimenhydrinate inhibits the center for nausea.
- Dental chewing gums are used to clean the teeth and provide them with minerals. They are especially popular after meals, when there is no opportunity to brush your teeth. A special type of dental care chewing gums are those with sodium carbonate, which is supposed to prevent tooth discoloration. Thus, they can be used to support professional teeth whitening to counteract new discolorations. Chewing gums are also used against bad breath.
Consequence of chewing gum consumption
Chewing dissolves the ingredients in the gum. These mix with saliva, are swallowed, enter the digestive tract and are absorbed through mucous membranes into the bloodstream. The oral mucosa already absorbs the dissolved substances into the blood system. This also allows controversial ingredients such as the sweetener aspartame to enter the bloodstream. In small quantities, aspartame is said to be harmless. However, the sweetener should be consumed with caution. Aspartame is particularly toxic for people with the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria. Since the sweetener is a chemical product, even healthy people should consume aspartame only in moderation. Therefore, if you want to be on the safe side, you should buy chewing gums without questionable sweeteners. If you chew gum often, you run the risk of overstressing the muscles in your jaw as well as your jaw joints. This manifests itself as a cracking sound in the jaw when chewing. Thus, excessive chewing can lead to temporomandibular joint dysfunction.
Positive effect of chewing gum
Chewing gum stimulates certain areas in the brain that are beneficial in reducing stress. In addition, gum chewing increases blood flow to the brain. As a result, about a quarter more oxygen reaches the brain, significantly increasing concentration and performance. Many people like to use chewing gum during takeoff and landing on airplanes. Chewing helps them equalize the pressure that occurs in the ears when flying and prevents earaches.US researchers have also found that chewing gum boosts metabolism. Our body consumes about 11 calories in one hour of chewing. Bad breath: what to do?
Chewing gum against tooth decay?
Chewing gum leads to increased saliva production. This washes away food debris and acids that are harmful to the teeth. As a result, the pH level in the mouth rises again, making it more difficult for bacteria to multiply. Chewing gums without sugar are more suitable because they do not provide any nutrients for bacteria. The multiplication of bacteria is thus kept lower. In this way, sugar-free chewing gums can help protect teeth from caries. Especially the naturally occurring sugar substitute xylitol has a positive effect on oral hygiene. However, you should be aware that chewing gum cannot replace daily tooth brushing.
When are chewing gums unhealthy?
The body cannot digest or break down chewing gum. So if you swallow a piece of chewing gum, you will excrete it undigested. Often, chewing gums contain various additives to create a pleasant taste. However, not all additives are digestible for everyone in high doses. The possible consequences are abdominal pain and the development of intolerances. The latter occurs above all when the sugar substitute sorbitol is contained in chewing gums. If such chewing gums are chewed excessively, fructose intolerance can develop. In addition, excessive gum chewing can cause flatulence and diarrhea.
Remove chewing gum from hair and clothing
If chewing gum has become lodged in jeans, hair or textiles, it is not easy to remove. Here are some household tips:
- Place the clothes or textiles with a chewing gum stain in a plastic bag in the freezer for a few hours. You can then scrape off the gum. If any remains, you can treat them with spirit or gasoline. For this you should give the substances beforehand on a cloth and thus rub away the chewing gum residues.
- If chewing gum is stuck in the hair, you should rub the affected area generously with oil, cream or butter and then carefully pull out the gum piece by piece.
- If chewing gum sticks to carpet and upholstered furniture, it is important to let it harden. Cooling accumulators or cooling sports spray can be supportive in this process. Then you can scrape off the chewing gum and treat residues with gasoline or methylated spirits, if necessary.
Chewing gum make yourself
You can also make chewing gum yourself. Unlike many purchased chewing gum, the homemade gum mass comes without artificial flavor enhancers, petroleum or other hidden ingredients. This means you can chew on the mass with a clear conscience. For the most common recipe you will need:
- 1 part chicle (available in pharmacies).
- 2 to 3 parts sugar or the healthier option xylitol (natural sweetener).
- Essential oils (circa 1.5 to 3.5 grams for 400 grams of chicle)
- Glycerin (up to 8 grams), if necessary.
Heat the chicle to 60 degrees Celsius and add sugar or xylitol. Glycerin makes the mass softer and smoother, add some of it to taste. When the mass has cooled to 30 degrees Celsius, enrich it with essential oils and herbs, depending on your choice of flavor. Then sprinkle a tray with sugar or xylitol, roll out the mixture on it and cut it into gum-sized strips.
The history of chewing gum
The oldest chewing gum is said to be over 9,000 years old and made of birch pitch. Other archaeological evidence shows that Stone Age people were already chewing on birch resin. Chewing gum was first mass-produced in America in 1848 from birch resin. It was not until 1982 that an elastic chewing gum mass was invented, which also made chewing gum bubbles possible, as we know chewing gum today. Today, conventional chewing gum contains artificial raw materials and is therefore not biodegradable. Therefore, it takes years for chewing gum to decompose or disintegrate.
