Chewing Gum – Good or Bad? And The Unacceptable Ingredients!
Chewing gum is sweet, freshens your breath, helps you concentrate… and apparently, it may contain pig fat? Yes, you read it correct. Let me explain.
Recently, I heard people around me saying, “You chew gum? Don’t you know it contains animal bones and pig’s fat?” Now, before you say it’s rubbish. Let me tell you, what the person said wasn’t entirely false. So, let’s chew over the truth, shall we?
This article isn’t just about moral issues surrounding chewing gums. Here we will tell you benefits and downside of chewing gum with truth behind the claims.
Health Benefits of Chewing Gum
Let’s start with positive. Here are some health benefits of chewing gum…
Chewing Gum for Oral Health
Chewing sugar-free gum (especially the ones with xylitol or sorbitol) can actually protect your teeth. It stimulates saliva production, which helps wash away food particles and neutralize plaque acids. Basically, it helps fight cavities and also rebuilds enamel.
Xylitol-sweetened gum may even reduce the spread of cavity-causing bacteria like Streptococcus mutans.
✅ Go for sugar-free gums with xylitol.
❌ Avoid sugar-loaded gums if you care about plaque and cavities.
A piece or a strip of chewable gum ends up containing no more than 2 grams of sugar. That’s not much right? 2 gram of sugar is not much calorie wise but for those teeny tiny plaque causing bacteria in your mouth, that 2 grams of sugar slowly released over a span of 10 minutes is a heaven sent supply of energy! Yes it will freshen your breath but will not provide any anti-cavity protection.
Sugar free gum on the other hand is shown to not only reduce dental caries and freshen your breath!
Improves Focus & Alertness
People have reported decrease in stress and anxiety and increase in short term memory retention after eating chewing gum but these claims are not supported by research.
However studies does support the claim that chewing gum increases alertness and that might be the reason why it is shown to improve performance in tests.
Chewing on Gum aids with Weight Loss
This is a real iffy one. As a dietitian I never learned about it in text books nor have I come across any dietitian ever advising anyone to start chewing gum as a weight loss tip. But a lot of health guru’s and news articles claim this. So here is the result of some digging.
One study shows that chewing gum enhances Diet Induced Thermogenesis (amount of calories burned for the digestion itself), but the total of 6-8 extra calories burned by chewing gum, will it really amount to any “effective weight loss”? You decide!
There is another study that shows gum chewing can enhance satiety (feeling of fullness) after meals and significantly reduces consumption of carbohydrate rich snacks.
Then there is this interesting research that shows that chewing a gum just for 10-12 minutes after each meal (3 times a day) is shown to increase Basal Energy Expenditure by ~11% and can result in up to 5 kg of weight loss in a year irrespective of any other lifestyle modifications!
So chewing on gum can help curb your snack cravings, it may even help you eat less carbs and also help with weight loss. But in totality, the research is unequivocal and scanty. More research is needed.
Digestive Aid & Post-Surgery Recovery
Chewing gum promotes gastric motility and is been shown as an effective therapy in helping regain normal digestive functioning back in patients with gastrointestinal surgeries. There are many more studies indicating usefulness of gum therapy in return of normal bowel function in patients undergone gastric surgery. But does that also mean chewing gum can relieve your constipation? Who knows!
Gum has also been shown to be an effective therapy in treating post operative Nausea. And there are also ayurvedic or medicated gums that contain licorice, ginger extracts that claim to help with controlling nausea. But this area certainly needs more research.
So in a nutshell, chewing gum does have some great digestive benefits. Of course more research is needed!
Risks and Side Effects of Chewing Gum
Too Much Sugar-Free Gum = Tummy Trouble
If you consume a large enough quantity of sugar alcohols like Xylitol, Sorbitol, Erythritol in a short period of time, it can cause some nasty GI problems like gas, bloating and diarrhoea.
Sugary Gum = Tooth Decay
Yes, as mentioned earlier if you are opting for sugared gum, you are doing more harm to your teeth than good. Five minutes of fresh breath can cause lifetime of plaques.
Jaw Pain from Over-Chewing
Excessive gum chewing is shown to cause pain in Jaw joint (Temporomandibular Jaw Pain). This is particularly true for individuals who has misaligned teeth.
The Unacceptable – Ingredients You Might Want to Avoid
Let’s talk about the hidden stuff that no one tells you about.
Preservatives
butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) are two compounds that are used as a preservative in foods due to their antioxidant properties. They take care of free oxygen radicles and save fats in the food from going rancid.
They are considered GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) by US FDA but at the same time some other health agencies consider them to be carcinogenic (cancer causing). The scientific community is divided on this subject as many studies proving it’s carcinogenicity are done on rats.
The issue of their safety for human consumption has been controversial and I suppose will stay to be till more definitive research emerges.
BHT is also the preservative that is used in many chewing gums. So next time you buy one, flip the cover and check the ingredient list first.
Sugar Substitutes
Other than previously discussed sugar alcohols, there are other sugar substitutes that are used to sweeten the gum. Aspertame and Acesulfame K are two such sugar substitutes.
Adding zero calories and tons of sweetness so where’s the controversy in that?
Well Aspartame for one, contains Phenylalanine, an essential amino acid that can be detrimental for individuals born with condition Phenylketonurea (PKU). On top of that it has been popularly accused for being a carcinogen but scientific evidence does not back those claims. So generally speaking, Aspartame is a safe bet, unless of course you have PKU.
And now, Acesulfame K. Well it too is being labelled as a “possible carcinogen” but there is not enough proof to support the claims and as of now it is regarded safe for human consumption.
So! Should you chew sugar free gum or should you not? I would say if you must, opt for sugar free gum that contains Xylitol over Aspertame any day.
Animal-Derived Ingredients in Chewing Gum
And now the elephant in the room that most gum proponents choose to ignore. Gum components that may be derived from Animals! Eaten pellet gums lately?
Well thing about gum pellets is most often than not the hard and polished covering/coating is made of Gelatin. Gelatin is a gel forming agent (used in Jell-O) that is derived from various parts of an animal’s body (bones, ligaments, skin etc.)
That is not always the case though. Some use corn starch to form the covering of the pellets. Best way to figure out is, check the ingredient list.
And while you are at it, might as well check for Glycerin/Glycerol in it and whether the manufacture has mentioned the source of it (Vegetable Glycerin or Just Glycerin).
Now the thing about Glycerin is that it is an compound that is the back bone of Triglyceride structure in all Fats and Oils.
3 Fatty acid chains when attach parallely to a single glycerol (glycerin) back bone the structure is called a “Triglyceride”. And every oil and fat is made of these triglyceride molecules. So basically whether it’s your normal vegetable oil, uber fancy and imported olive oil, or literally butter or even fat trimmed off a mutton chop, they ALL contain triglycerides and thus glycerol or glycerin. So if your ingredient list just mentions Glycerin, there is no way of telling where that glycerin has come from.
Wrapping Up
Should You Chew Gum? Yes, but… mindfully. Go for sugar-free, xylitol-based gums. Avoid gelatin, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives if you’re sensitive. Moderation is key. Don’t chew 24/7. If you’re using it for oral health, digestion, or even occasional stress relief, chewing gum can be a surprisingly helpful little habit.
Just don’t chew blindly, know what you’re putting in your mouth. If you found the information helpful, share it with someone who chews gum like it’s their full-time job!
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q. How to Know If Your Chewing Gum is Vegan or Vegetarian?
Read the label. Look for “vegetarian” or “vegan” logos. Avoid Gelatin, Shellac, and Glycerin (if source not mentioned.)
Q. Is chewing gum good for weight loss?
Not directly. It may curb cravings and slightly boost calorie burn, but don’t rely on it for major fat loss.
Q. Which gum is best for teeth?
Sugar-free gum with xylitol is dentist-recommended for oral health.
Q. Does gum contain pig fat? OR Is chewing gum made of pig fat?
Not directly, but gelatin (from animal parts) might be used in some pellet gums. Always check the label.
