Tag Archives: gum

Oh No! Did you swallow your gum?

07 Thursday Oct 2021

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Don’t worry. If you swallow gum, it won’t get stuck in your intestines for 7-years and trigger health problems. Research shows that gum – just like any other food – gets broken down by stomach acid, and the body absorbs the sugars and flavorings. The sticky gum base does stay intact, but it’ll pass out of your system within one or two days, just like any other hard-to-digest food.

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If you’re headache-prone:

02 Tuesday Mar 2021

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Stop chewing gum. A recent study found that when people stopped chewing gum for a month, 87% said their headaches decreased or disappeared. It has to do with the fact that chewing can trigger a painful condition in the jaw, called TMJ. And for many people, the pain can work its way up from the jaw and cause a splitting headache. So, if you suspect TMJ, lay off the gum and talk to your dentist.

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When it comes to fresh breath and mouth health, which is better:

22 Wednesday Jul 2020

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Sugar-free gum or mints? The gum wins! According to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, gum-chewing produces more saliva, which clears away the natural acids and leftover food particles that cause cavities. And Xylitol – the sweetener in sugar-free gum – eliminates bacteria that damage teeth and make your breath stink. Sugar-free mints have a similar effect – but because they dissolve quickly, they create less saliva, and don’t do as much to protect your teeth. But if you have pets you should avoid anything that contains xylitol because it’s toxic to them.

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Does tooth-whitening gum really work?

04 Wednesday Dec 2019

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Well, don’t expect it to clear away 20-years’ worth of yellow from cigarettes, but it can scrub away daily coffee and wine stains. That’s from the UCLA School of Dentistry. A lot of whitening gums contain baking soda, which polishes teeth. But really, ANY gum can help erase superficial stains. Because it’s really your saliva doing most of the work. Chewing gum increases the output of saliva – and saliva is antimicrobial – so it kills bacteria and washes away debris that can stain teeth.

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Are you going on a plane soon? Take THIS with you!

12 Thursday Jul 2018

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On your next plane flight, bring some gum! The chewing stimulates saliva – and the extra swallowing helps equalize the pressure between your inner and outer ear. Plus, we tend to hold a lot of tension in our jaw – and chewing gum releases it. It also boosts blood flow to your brain and reduces levels of stress hormones. So if you have any flying anxiety, you’ll feel more relaxed.

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Xylitol and your pets

27 Wednesday Jun 2018

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We’ve talked before about how toxic xylitol is to pets (cats and dogs)… that’s the artificial sweetener found in a lot of sugar-free foods. But your dog is most likely to encounter xylitol in sugar-free gum that’s been spit out on the street or sidewalk. And if your dog gets it on their paws, and tries to lick it off, they could get really sick. So always check your dog’s paws after a walk… and if there’s gum stuck to their pads, get some vegetable oil and rub it all around. It’ll practically disintegrate the gum within seconds – so you can safely wipe it away.

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Unusual foods that cause GAS!

08 Friday Jun 2018

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Going on a date – have an important meeting? Skip these foods that cause gas… and they’re not the usual suspects like broccoli and beans.

First, be careful with sugar-free gum. Not only are you taking in more air when you chomp gum, which can cause gas and burping. The ingredient in sugar-free gum – sorbitol – takes a relatively long time to digest, and undigested sorbitol in your small intestine acts as a hothouse, fermenting bacteria, which can cause flatulence.

Also, skip protein bars that contain soy. The processed “soy isolate” contains sugar molecules that the body can’t break down entirely. So they hang out in the gut, ferment, and cause gas and bloating.

One more gas-inducing food: Almond milk! Dairy doesn’t have the lock on stomach distress. Almond milk can contain a thickening agent called carrageenan. It’s made from seaweed, and it’s been linked to ulcers, inflammation, and other gastrointestinal problems.

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If you’re too lazy to floss, chew gum.

08 Thursday Jun 2017

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Because new research from the Netherlands finds that chewing gum cleans teeth.
In the study, people chewed sugar-free gum for up to 10 minutes. Then the researchers analyzed the chewed gum, and found about 100 million bacteria trapped in each wad!
That actually makes up just a small percentage of all the bacteria in your mouth, but the reduction is still significant: It can lead to fewer cavities, healthier gums, and better breath.
That’s because when you chew gum, it actually cleans plaque and pieces of food off your teeth.
Flossing is still the best way to get rid of bacteria-causing particles… But if you can’t floss, at least chew some sugarless gum.

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Sugarless gum has it’s benefits!

11 Thursday May 2017

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Chewing sugarless gum can increase saliva production, cleaning your mouth and reducing your risk for cavities. But gum can do something else, too. It can help you concentrate. The journal BioMed Research found chewing temporarily raises levels of hormones that make us alert and engaged in what we’re doing. And that helps you think faster.

When it comes to fresh breath and the health of your mouth, which is better:

14 Wednesday Sep 2016

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Sugar-free gum or mints? Sugar-free gum wins this one. According to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, the chewing involved with sugar-free gum stimulates the production of saliva – and that clears away the acids that naturally form in the mouth and cause cavities. Gum also clears away leftover food stuck in your teeth – and the sugar-alcohol in sugar-free gum, namely xylitol, has an anti-microbial effect, which reduces harmful bacteria that can damage teeth and make your breath stink. Sugar-free mints can have a similar effect – but you’d need to get really strong ones to produce more saliva. But because they dissolve quickly, they don’t do as much good as gum.