Chewing Gum Benefits

While chewing gum, has anyone in his entire life thought about it benefits? (We never think about it even if we do not indulge in chewing a gum!). Chewing gum in my opinion is world's most favorite pass time and probably the most popular candy. Read on for knowing some interesting chewing gum benefits.

Chewing Gum History
Astonishingly, the history of chewing gum and bubble gum goes back many thousand years (9000 thousand to be precise). The archaeologists have found a skeleton which actually had a chewing gum in its teeth. Well, they jokingly concluded that it must be a stone-age teenager. It was a chewed birch raisin though. The skeleton was found in the island of Orust in Sweden. If Swedish liked chewing gum, Greeks liked them better. They chewed a kind of gum which was known as the mastic gum (pronounced mas-tee-ka). Again it was a raisin from the plant, which is also known as the mastic plant. Even the native Indians of new England were into chewing gum made of raisin. The first commercial chewing gum was sold in US in 1800's and it was called the spruce chewing gum. Amazingly, the next most popular chewing gum was sweetened paraffin wax in 1850. And as they say, the rest is history.

Chewing Gum Ingredients
The following are key chewing gum ingredients:

• Gum Base - The most popular gum bases are chicle, mastiche and rubber. Mastiche is organic and rubber is synthetic.
• Softeners - The gum needs to maintain the moisture, isn't it? Softeners do that job.
• Flavors - Depends on individuals liking. ( I like strawberry flavor).
• Color - Pink was most popular in early days. These days chewing gum come in a variety of colors.

Chewing Gum Benefits for Teeth
Many chewing gums have Xylitol in them. Because of this, the presence of the bacteria is reduced to a great extent. Five minutes of chewing a gum, which is sweetened with Xylitol will greatly reduce harmful effects of bacteria.

The acids secreted by harmful bacteria tend to dissolve the teeth. This is a very slow process, but over a period of time, they are bound to cause lot of damage. The habit of chewing gum will definitely reduce this damage. Tooth decay is significantly prolonged because of this habit.

Chewing gum also relieves stress on sinus. This is due to continuous jaw movement. Chewing provides a good way to exercise jaw muscles. Number of tooth cavities are also reduced if the person is chewing gum very frequently.

Chewing Gum Health Benefits
By now, we know that chewing gum has many benefits for teeth, but we must also take a look at other health benefits. First of all, it improves memory. The cognitive power is enhanced manifolds due to chewing gum ( who knew that!). Glucose level in the body increases due to chewing gum. Well, glucose is fuel for the brain, isn't it? If your brain is getting its fuel, obviously alertness and concentration are bound to improve. Chewing gums are proven stress busters. Psychologists have repeatedly highlighted this fact. Chewing gums trigger relaxed and satisfied feelings. The continuous chewing of gum will subside the craving for indulging in untimely snacks. This will keep your weight in check as well. What more, chewing gums burn more calories than it gives. (it give 10 and burns about 12). The continuous chewing of gum secretes more saliva. Hence digestion is improved. Apart from all this, its just fun to have chewing gum.

Chewing Gum Facts

• The world oldest chewing gum is 9000 years old.
• Chewing gum while peeling onions keeps you from crying.
• Chewing gum is the most favorite recommendation by dentist all round the world.
• To remove a gum from any surface, manual removal is best recommended way. Read more on chewing gum removal.

Who knew that chewing a gum has so many benefits? So start chewing a chewing gum right away, not just because you like it, but since you know the innumerable benefits it holds.