Side-effects of chewing gum

I know that many people love chewing gum, make bubbles, think it is cool and fun. It also keeps your breath fresh, but none ever thought that it has so many side-effects. So, now think twice before popping the gum into your mouth.

1. Binge Eating:

Many of us actually chew gum so we can avoid snacking on unhealthy junk foods. However, the opposite happens. Even though the people who chew gum have a reduced motivation to eat foods, the things they end up eating tend to be less healthy. They tend to reach for potato chips and other forms of candy after they are done with their stick of gum rather than snacking on fruits. This causes binge eating and can lead to various lifestyle disorders.

 2. Tooth Damage:

Gum usually contains sugar or artificial sweeteners, which allows coating your teeth with sugar while you chew the gum leading to plaque buildup and tooth decay. Even artificial sweeteners added in these gums to taste good are quite harmful as they consist of artificial flavors and preservatives which cause the teeth to slowly dissolve.
 Dentists strongly recommend staying away from chewing gum habit, as it can be a cause of tooth decay. Chewing gum may also release mercury from dental fillings into the system causing host of problems.

3.Some tooth whitening gums contain an ingredient called Titanium Dioxide. This gives the chewing gum its glossy white color. It is a dangerous compound linked to many disorders including auto immune disorders, Crohn’s disease, asthma and cancer.

4.The artificial sweetener most commonly used in chewing gums is aspartame whose components metabolizes into wood alcohol and formaldehyde in the body. Both have carcinogenic properties and the body is unable to eliminate them through normal waste. These have been linked to cancers, birth defects and weight gain.
  
5. Stomach Problems:
Chewing gum leads to stress in your stomach and intestines. You need to give time to your stomach to rest and be able to digest the food, but if you keep chewing gum consistently you are swallowing an excessive amount of spit, not allowing your body to properly digest the foods. Chewing also signals your body that you are about to swallow food, so the acids that are used in the digestion of food are activated, causing all sorts of problems in your stomach. This can make your body bloated, over-production of stomach-acid and further lessening your ability to digest food when you are actually eating.
Gastrointestinal problems are quite common among chewing gum consumers. The symptoms include pain and cramps in abdomen, indigestion and diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome has been found to be associated with chewing gum eaters as chewing gum can lead to swallowing of excess air and changing of bowel habits.

6. Headache:

It is believed that chewing gum puts an undue pressure on temporomandibular joint causing headaches. It can also lead to pain and lack of mobility in the jaw, causing an inability to chew meals. This is called temporomandibular joint(TMJ) disorder  and is commonly found among chewing gum lovers.
Chewing gum on a regular basis has been linked to headaches. When one consumes a chewing gum, the physical movement of the teeth and jaw goes up by 40% which if continued for a longer span of time can cause splitting headache, that can be very painful.
At any point in time, if you tend to overuse a certain set of muscles it leads to contracted muscles and related pain. Over time, TMJ can lead to headaches, toothaches, earaches and migraines in a lot of cases.
  
7.Lanolin Allergies:
Lanolin is the ingredient which keeps chewing the gum soft. This ingredient is also found in skin care products. It is just as bad as it sounds; it is a yellow waxy substance which is secreted by the sebaceous glands of the sheep. Although the quality found in gum is hardly threatening to one’s health but at times it can cause allergies among a few individuals. Hence it is better to avoid.

8. Neurological Disorders:

Amalgam dental fillings or silver fillings consist of a combination of mercury, tin and silver. Chewing gum can release the mercury from these fillings into your system.  High levels of mercury in your system can cause neurological issues as well as chronic illnesses and mental disorders.

Conclusion:

So does this mean we have to give up chewing gum for good? Not at all. Just remember to use it correctly. Chew gum for 10 minutes after a meal but not any longer than that.  If you find any of the above mentioned side effects affecting you, first and foremost would be to look out for medical help to curb the problem.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

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