The Student Room Group

chewing gum-metabolism

i heard that chewing gum all day can raise your metabolism by 20%. now i can sorta see the logic- if your stomach thinks you are eating all day then it will probably get your digestive system going. plus just moving you jaw is sort of exercise....!
but then i also think i heard that chewing gum is bad for you because it makes your stomach produce more acid which is bad for your stomach lining etc.
....and this could clearly be a load of BS.
so, what's the deal? is there any truth in this whatsoever? any thoughts?
Yeah.. I heard chewing gum makes you poo.
There's truth in both. At the end of the day, it's a bad thing to be chewing all the time.

Just chew a bit. One piece after every meal is good (so long as it's one of the tooth-friendly packets!).
Reply 3
all three are true
chewing poduces saliva that causes stomach acids to be released causing stomach ulcers
if your chewing and releasing stomach acids your body thinks you are eating so your metabolism goes up
gum contains phenylalanine whch 'may cause laxative effects'
Mint and Sorbitol (sweetener in sugar free stuff) are both laxatives. Sorbitol is quite a strong one I think
maybe not such a good idea to chew all day then....
Drinking lemon tea also has the same effect.
Reply 7
Well chewing gum can give your lock jaw and it makes your stomach secrete more acids; the pancreas creates it. It's not necessarily a good thing to have your metabolism increase in this way considering there might be a big, gaping hole called an ulcer.
I heard chewing too much gives you ulcers.

but then i can't live without gum... :redface:
mademoiselle84
i heard that chewing gum all day can raise your metabolism by 20%. now i can sorta see the logic- if your stomach thinks you are eating all day then it will probably get your digestive system going. plus just moving you jaw is sort of exercise....!
but then i also think i heard that chewing gum is bad for you because it makes your stomach produce more acid which is bad for your stomach lining etc.
....and this could clearly be a load of BS.
so, what's the deal? is there any truth in this whatsoever? any thoughts?

Chewing gum ALL day probably isn't a good idea. It reminds me of that character from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actually. Didn't really work for her. I think chewing gum makes you bloated due to swallowing air or something to that extent, I never feel too great after having it in for too long in the morning on an empty stomach.
Chewing gum also makes your stomach think that you are going to be consuming food, so naturally it will produce all the necassary acids, except of course they have nothing to "eat" except the linings of your own stomach.

You should never chew gum as a replacement for meals
Reply 11
Chewing gum too much makes your stomach produce too many acids etc so it eats itself. Yum.
Reply 12
Eurgh this thread is making me go off gum very quickly
Wot bout eating polos all day long? Within reason...like a pack a day :p: !
Reply 14
Chewing gum actually makes your belly look bigger and bloated, since you're swallowing a lot of air while chewing all the time.
what!? :eek: that doesnt seem right!! when youre chewing youre hardly swallowing great big gulps of air. its easy enough to chew with your mouth shut breathing in the normal way!
Reply 16
lol,it was in the Guardian and we trust what the Guardian says. :wink:

Chewing gum is a particular enemy of those determined to avoid the pot-bellied pig look. Researchers at the American College of Gastroenterology found that it makes you swallow a lot of air, which inflates the belly until it is expelled. Smokers and fast talkers have the same problem.