Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive, flavored preparation of chicle or synthetic rubber, made for chewing without being swallowed. It is a product that has existed, in some form, throughout modern history. This does not mean that it never existed. It is actually believed that chewing gum has been in existence for more than six thousand years. The first one was made using birch bark tar. The ancient tribes of Aztecs and Mayans used chicle, which is a natural tree gum. The ancient Greeks were also known for chewing mastic gum, which was derived from mastic tree resin. Chewing in modern times developed in the United States of America. This occurred in the middle of the nineteenth century. It was facilitated by the fact that settlers in New England observed local tribes chewing resin made from sap, which had been harvested from the local spruce trees. Most of them copied the practice. The first commercialized chewing gum product was sold in 1848. But, it is worth noting that the first flavored chewing gums were manufactured in the 1960s. Today, many companies are still producing chewing gums because of the increased demand for its benefits and sweetness. In many cases, young people and people at work chew gums for concentration and increased blood flow. Besides the many benefits we see today, Chewing gum has some setbacks
too.
Pros:
1. It helps in relieving heartburn issues- chewing gum helps in producing extra saliva from salivary glands that also helps in neutralizing the digestive acids inside your stomach, and that has leaked into your gullet.
2. It helps you tackle bad breath issues-as mentioned up above, the activity of chewing gum produces more saliva that helps in lessening the number of bacteria in your mouth. This provides you with a fresh breath.
3. It helps in reducing weight-chewing gum, especially those free with sugar, helps to decrease over-eating and that urge for eating food. By doing so, appetite for snacks is suppressed.
4. It may help in fighting tooth decay-some types of sugarless chewing gum are known for slowing the growth of particular bacteria in the mouth that cause tooth cavities. They contain substances that prevent bacteria from sticking to the enamel on your teeth.
5. It seems to be very affordable-chewing gums are very cheap to buy anywhere.
6. It can increase productivity in a person-the act of chewing helps a person`s mind to be more focused on the activity he is doing. This is possible because chewing gum reduces non-productive activities.
7. It feels good-chewing gum is fun. It`s a hilarious activity. It can be very entertaining, especially when people are seen blowing bubbles.
8. Increase Blood flow-When someone is actively chewing gum, they are likely to have more efficient blood flow.
9. enhances someone’s concentration-a chewing gum can keep you active and focused.
10. Keeping you attentive-When the blood is flowing the right way and your mind is focused, there are little chances of sleeping.
Cons:
1. It may be responsible for temporomandibular joint disorder-chewing gum causes the jaw to have muscle imbalances because people tend to chew more on one side. This makes the muscles on that side to be overused. Complications such as toothaches develop, causing a lot of pain.
2. It can cause tooth decay-high sugar content chewing gum to cause tooth decay. A lot of sugar in your mouth increases the number of bacteria leading to dental erosion.
3. It may cause a drastic craving for junk food according to some study; chewing gum will reduce the urge for eating while other studies suggest that it will increase your hunger leading to the intake of less nutritious foods
4. It might make some people bite their tongue-some people are so unfortunate when it comes to chewing gum. They will end up biting their tongues, which is such a painful experience.
5. It may be responsible for bloating-chewing gum produces extra saliva. This means that you will be swallowing a lot of it. In the process, some people swallow a lot of air that cause bloating of the stomach.
6. It might be the cause of higher sugar levels in the blood-chewing gum with sweeteners tend to increase the level of sugar in the blood of an individual.
7. It can loosen your fillings, crowns, and bridges- chewing gum tends to loosen your dental work. This is a negative impact.
8. It can be destructive to the environment-one of the biggest concern when it comes to chewing gum is that it facilitates high levels of littering. This incident occurs due to improper disposal of chewing gum packets. They are non-biodegradable.
9. Increases your sugar intake-If you are on a diet or you have an existing condition that doesn’t give you room for increased sugar intake, you should avoid chewing gums.
10. You may fail on Multitasking-When you bare chewing gum, you are likely to have little chance to think of two or more things at the same time. It seems like the mind can be more into the gum that what is happening around.
