Chewing gum
Chewing gum, commonly known as gum, is a chewable gum. Although most of the current ones use a neutral plastic base, also known as polyvinyl acetate, or also xanthan gum, until relatively recently the sap of a tropical tree was used: chiclero.
The popular name chicle comes from the Nahuatl word tzictli, which is a gummy polymer obtained from the sap of the Manilkara zapota, a tree of the family Sapotaceae (formerly known as Sapota zapotilla or Achras zapota) native to Mesoamerica. The Mayas and Aztecs were the first to exploit the positive properties from chewing gum, both used chicle, a natural tree gum, as a base to make a gum-like substance and to attach objects in everyday use.
History
Chewing gum in many forms has been around since Neolithic times. At the Monte Verde archaeological site in Chile (which has a carbon-14 date of more than 14,000 years) attempts at chewing gum were found, the chewing gum was obtained from a mixture of boldo and different species of algae. In Kierikki In Finland, 6,000-year-old chewing gum made from birch bark tar has been found, with tooth imprints. The pitch from which the gum is made is believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal benefits. It is chemically similar to petroleum pitch and is therefore different from most early gums. The Aztecs, as well as the ancient Maya before them, used chicle, a natural tree gum, as a base to make a gum-like substance and to bind objects together in everyday use. Gums were also chewed in Ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks chewed a mastic gum made from the resin of the mastic tree. Mastic gum, like birch bark pitch, has antiseptic properties and is believed to have been used to maintain oral health. Both chewing gum and putty are tree resins. Many other cultures have chewed gum-like substances made from plants, herbs, and resins.
Although chewing gum dates back to civilizations around the world, the modernization and commercialization of this product took place primarily in the United States. American Indians chewed resin made from the sap of fir trees. New England settlers resumed this practice, and in 1848 John B. Curtis developed and sold the first commercial chewing gum called "The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum". In this way, the industrialized West, which had forgotten about gum trees, rediscovered chewing gum through the early Americans. A gum made from paraffin wax, a petroleum by-product, was developed around 1850 and soon surpassed gum fir in popularity. To sweeten these early chewing gums, the user often used a dish of powdered sugar into which they repeatedly dipped the gum to maintain sweetness. William Semple filed an advance patent on chewing gum—patent number 98,304—on December 28, 1869.
The first flavored chewing gum was created in the 1860s by John Colgan, a pharmacist from Louisville, Kentucky. Colgan mixed powdered sugar with tolu, a powdered flavoring obtained from the extract of the balsam tree (Myroxylon), creating little sticks of flavored gum that he called "Taffy Tolu." Colgan is also a leading manufacturer and packager of chewing gum based on gum from Manilkara, a tropical evergreen tree. Colgan patented a machine for automatically cutting larger gum sticks—US Patent 966,160, August 2, 1910—called the "Chewing Gum Chip Forming Machine" and another for automatically cutting gum stick wrappers. chewing gum—US patent 913,352, February 23, 1909—called "Web-cutting attachment for wrapping-machines" and invented by James Henry Brady, an employee of the Colgan Gum Company.
Modern chicle first developed in the 1860s, when former President Antonio López de Santa Anna brought a one-ton shipment of chicle (Manilkara zapota) from Mexico to New York, where he gave it to Thomas Adams for use as a rubber substitute. Chewing gum was not successful as a rubber replacement, but as chewing gum, it was cut into strips, flavored, and marketed as "Adams New York Chewing Gum" in 1871. Black Jack gum (1884), flavored with licorice, Chiclets (1899) and Wrigley's Spearmint Gum were the first popular brands that quickly dominated the market and are still around today. Chewing gum gained worldwide popularity through American soldiers in World War II, who were supplied with gum as a ration and sold to locals. Synthetic chewing gums were first introduced in the US when traditional chewing gum no longer met minimum quality standards. In the 1960s, American manufacturers switched to butadiene-based synthetic rubber as it was cheaper to make.
Health effects
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Dental health (sugar free gum)
Cavity prevention
Sugar-free gum can be used as an alternative to prevent cavities. In fact, the American Dental Association (ADA) reported that there are studies indicating that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after a meal can prevent cavities. This works as it stimulates the flow of saliva in the mouth, which serves to cleanse the mouth of food and neutralize acids. Saliva also contains additional calcium and phosphate that promote enamel strengthening. Sugar gums also increase saliva flow, but the sugar they contain is used by plaque bacteria to produce acidic by-products.
Strengthening of enamel
According to the ADA, when you chew sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol, you reduce the acids that food and drinks leave on your teeth. Sugar-free gum promotes dental health and prevents enamel erosion by providing minerals for teeth. With stronger enamel, teeth have a better chance in the fight against cavities.
Reduced tooth sensitivity
Another important benefit of sugar-free gum is that it can reduce tooth sensitivity caused by professional teeth whitening. According to a study published in the British Dental Journal, patients who had chewed sugar-free gum after undergoing teeth whitening had significantly less tooth sensitivity compared to study participants who did not chew gum. The researchers pointed out that the cause of this benefit could be the increase in the flow of saliva, caused by the act of chewing.
Neurological Effects
It had previously been suggested that ancient Greek philosophers encouraged their students to chew gum to encourage reasoning. The ancient Greek physician and pharmacologist Dioscorides recommended the resin of the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) for its reputed healing properties. US soldiers during World War I were given chewing gum in the belief that it increased concentration and helped relieve stress.
There are some laboratory experiments that suggest that chewing gum stimulates memory, attention-concentration, reduces anxiety and stress and may help fight dementia. In an experiment with mice that had had their molars extracted and comparing them with those that kept their molars intact, it was found that mice unable to chew were incapable of memorizing and learning. Histological analysis of the brain demonstrated changes in the anatomy of the hippocampus of the knockout mice. In another experiment carried out by Dr. Onozuka, it was found that the act of chewing increases the activity of the hippocampus. Dr. Joyde Wau, from the University of Edinburgh, proposes the hypothesis that the improvement in memory may be due to the fact that the act of chewing produces the release of anti-stress hormones.
In another experiment, Dr. Scholey, from Northumbria University, with a sample of subjects divided into three groups (a group of chewers, another of imaginary chewers who simulated chewing, and another group that did not chew gum at all), it was found that those who chewed gum obtained better scores in the memory test. Scholey suggests that exercise performed through the act of chewing increases heart rate by 3 beats per minute and therefore improves cerebral perfusion; On the other hand, he does not rule out that chewing produced the release of insulin, as a conditioned reflex, which would adhere to receptors in the hippocampus.Insulin has been linked to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Other studies associate chewing gum with improvements in productivity, reduced cognitive errors at work, increased heart rate, and an initial increase in blood levels of cortisol, a hormone that increases alertness and reduces sleeplessness. drowsiness, as well as improvements in mood, improvements in the resolution of different cognitive tasks (such as puzzles or the repetition of numerical series) and increased reaction speed.
In Germany, a pilot project in a Berlin primary school encouraged students to chew gum during classes and breaks, concluding that chewing stimulated the brain, learning and intelligence. Siegfried Lehrl, head of the Brain Training Society and a scientist at the University of Erlangen, hints that the positive effect is possibly related to stimulation of the brain stem and increased blood perfusion to the brain, related to alertness. In 2002, another similar experiment led by scientists from the University of Northumbria in England was carried out, proving that people who chewed gum obtained a 35% improvement in their ability to remember words.
Benefits
- Improves concentration: relieves anxiety, increases concentration and alertness and reduces stress. Cortisol levels are reduced by 16%. Increased intellectual performance.
- Reduces acidity in the mouth: chewing stimulates greater saliva flow by neutralizing the acid of food and beverages. Saliva has calcium and iron that mineralizes teeth.
- Reduces cavities: xilitol inhibits microorganisms that cause decay.
- Reduces stomach acidity.
- Fight stress and anxiety: chewing gum has a calming effect. It reduces anxiety in stressful situations, something that relates to the increased flow of blood to the brain.
- Help stop smoking: nicotine gums are used for tobacco addicted patients.
- Nausea relief: mint gums contain components that reduce contractions in the stomach.
It is in the development phase to manufacture a chewing gum for patients with type 2 diabetes that contains metformin.
Damages
There is some contradiction about the negative effects on oral health of increasing the consumption of chewing gum. Some affirm that by stimulating salivation dental plaque is combated, while others affirm that the high sugar content serves as a substrate for the development of oral pathogenic microbial flora (microorganisms, mainly bacteria) and the subsequent development of caries. In any case, it seems that the best option is the consumption of sugar-free chewing gum that contains xylitol.
- Caries: sugary gums contain simple glucids so they can fatten and promote the development of cavities.
- Gastrointestinal disorders: in excess (from 4 to 16 gums per day) can produce gastritis, colic, intestinal gases and diarrhea due to their sorbitol content; it can also cause acidity, ulcer and weight loss. It also helps to swallow more air, which is causing flatulence.
- Pain in the jaw: chewing gum too long force the temporo-mandibular joints, producing wear, so the closure of the mouth is altered.
- Side effects of coloring and aromas: some additives may be harmful in the long term.
Other effects
- Reduces appetite: stimulates the sensation of satiety and reduces the urge to take sweet foods. Reduces heat intake.
Possible carcinogen
Concern has been raised about the possible carcinogenicity of the vinyl acetate used by some manufacturers in their gum bases. Its long-term consequences are not exactly known. The Canadian government initially classified it as a "potentially high risk substance". However, on January 31, 2009, the Government of Canada in a final assessment concluded that exposure to vinyl acetate was not considered to be detrimental to human health. This decision under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) is based on updated information received during the public comment period, as well as the most recent information from the risk assessment conducted by the European Union.