How does chewing gum work

J Am Dent Assoc ; 2 Food and Drug Administration. Accessed August 8, Arch Oral Biol ;60 6 The distribution of saliva and sucrose around the mouth during the use of chewing gum and the implications for the site-specificity of caries and calculus deposition. J Dent Res ;72 5 Saliva and dental erosion. J Appl Oral Sci ;20 5 A review of saliva: normal composition, flow, and function.

J Prosthet Dent ;85 2 Stookey GK. The effect of saliva on dental caries. Sugar-free chewing gum and dental caries: a systematic review. J Appl Oral Sci ;15 2 A systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of sugar-free chewing gum on Streptococcus mutans. BMC Oral Health ;21 1 The rate of absorption and relative bioavailability of caffeine administered in chewing gum versus capsules to normal healthy volunteers.

Int J Pharm ; The effect of gum chewing on postoperative ileus in open colorectal surgery patients: A review. J Perioper Pract ;31 4 Wallstrom A, Frisman GH. Facilitating early recovery of bowel motility after colorectal surgery: a systematic review.

J Clin Nurs ;23 Int J Gynecol Cancer ;29 4 Also, chewing gum that uses a synthetic rubber known as vinyl acetate may have carcinogenic effects. There are, however, many different reasons why chewing gum usage is beneficial. For example, chewing gum burns calories, may help with digestion, and can even help battle stress. A legal clerk and law school student at The Thomas M. Geoffrey has over a decade of experience working as a freelance writer and has completed hundreds of articles during that time.

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Chewing gum could be a helpful tool for those trying to lose weight. Some research also suggests that chewing gum could reduce your appetite, which could prevent you from overeating 30 , One small study found that chewing gum between meals decreased feelings of hunger and reduced intake of high carb snacks in the afternoon The results of another small study suggest that chewing gum while walking could help burn more calories However, the overall results are mixed.

Some studies have reported that chewing gum does not affect appetite or energy intake over the course of a day 34 , One study even found that people who chewed gum were less likely to snack on fruit.

However, this may be because the participants were chewing minty gum before eating, which made the fruit taste bad Interestingly, there is also some evidence that chewing gum may increase your metabolic rate However, more research is needed to determine whether chewing gum leads to a difference in weight over the long term. Chewing gum could help you cut calories and lose weight.

It may also help reduce feelings of hunger and help you eat less, although the results are inconclusive. Studies have found that chewing gums sweetened with the sugar alcohol xylitol are more effective than other sugar-free gums at preventing tooth decay This is because xylitol prevents the growth of the bacteria that cause tooth decay and bad breath 39 , Furthermore, chewing gum after a meal increases saliva flow. This helps wash away harmful sugars and food debris, both of which feed bacteria in your mouth While chewing gum has some potential benefits, chewing too much gum could cause some unwanted side effects.

The sugar alcohols used to sweeten sugar-free gum have a laxative effect when consumed in large amounts. This means that chewing lots of sugar-free gum could cause digestive distress and diarrhea This is because sugar is digested by the bad bacteria in your mouth, causing an increase in the amount of plaque on your teeth and tooth decay over time Eating too much sugar is also associated with a number of health conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes Constant chewing could lead to a jaw problem called temporomandibular disorder TMD , which causes pain when you chew.

Although this condition is rare, some studies have found a link between excessive chewing and TMD 46 , One research review suggests that regularly chewing gum may trigger headaches in people prone to migraine episodes and tension-type headaches