There are many kinds of chewing gum on the market. Some claim to prevent tooth decay, while others can freshen breath. Are you interested in the ingredients of chewing gum? Also, when you were a child, were you often intimidated by your parents, saying, "Don't swallow the chewing gum. It will stick to your stomach!" .
Is that the real situation? Nutritionists have compiled four common doubts about chewing gum and are here to solve them one by one for everyone! Keep reading quickly.
![Wuxi Gumbase]( "Wuxi Gumbase")
What are the ingredients of chewing gum? Why do some chewing gums have almost no calories?
There are hundreds of types of chewing gum available on the market, but their main ingredients are no more than gum base, softener, sweetener and flavoring, etc. Among them, the gum base that gives chewing gum a chewy feel is made from a specific resin (natural rubber), but since the source of natural rubber is relatively scarce, synthetic rubber is currently the main type.
Gum itself is tasteless, so sweeteners and flavors need to be added. Besides the common sucrose, sugar-free gum often uses "sugar substitutes", the most common of which are sugar alcohols that give a refreshing taste, such as sorbitol and xylitol.
These artificial sweeteners themselves are sweeter than sucrose, so only a small amount needs to be added to achieve the effect of generating sweetness. It is also because of their low content that the calorie content of sugar-free chewing gum is so low! Sugar-free chewing gum mostly uses artificial sweeteners for flavoring, so its calorie content is much lower than that of sucrose.
![Wuxi Gumbase]( "Wuxi Gumbase")
Confusion One: If you accidentally swallow chewing gum, will it really stick to your stomach and intestines?
This is actually a concern from parents and a kind lie. The human digestive system usually expels food that cannot be utilized, and the gum base of chewing gum is a substance that is not absorbed by the human body, such as polyvinyl acetate, butadiene styrene rubber and wax, etc. So even if chewing gum is accidentally swallowed, these components that cannot be digested and absorbed by the human body It will be excreted with feces within a few days and won't stick to the stomach and intestines!
In addition, all these substances that can be used as food have undergone strict toxicological tests. Moreover, the amount of chewing gum is very small, so it is far below the harmful level for the human body. Therefore, there is no need to worry about causing harm to the human body.
However, although chewing gum won't stick to your stomach and intestines, it doesn't mean you can swallow all of it! Excessive indigestible substances accumulating in the stomach and intestines can form fecalstones, causing problems such as bloating, abdominal pain, and nausea. Therefore, when chewing gum, it's better not to swallow it all!
Confusion Two: Does chewing gum frequently really make one's face look square?
The bones that determine the width of the face are set in childhood, so they do not change due to chewing gum. However, the masticator muscles can indeed become hypertrophied due to long-term chewing. There are some Internet celebrities abroad who use tools to train their masticator muscles like weight training to achieve a square-shaped face.
However, the chewing force of chewing gum is not strong. Besides, we don't chew gum all the time, so it won't make our faces look big or square.
Confusion Three: Can chewing gum completely prevent tooth decay?
The cause of tooth decay is closely related to the food remaining in the mouth, especially refined sweets and fruits containing fermentable sugars (such as sucrose, maltose, and fructose), which are more likely to cause tooth decay.
If these food residues remain in the mouth for more than five minutes, pathogenic bacteria that cause tooth decay, such as Streptococcus mutans, will use these sugars to ferment and produce energy and organic acids, making the mouth and saliva acidic (pH value <5.5) and eroding the enamel, the outermost protective layer of the teeth.
Over time, teeth lacking enamel protection will become increasingly sensitive and fragile, and can also lead to bacterial infections and tooth decay.
Some chewing gum can prevent tooth decay! Only sugar alcohol-based chewing gum has this effect! -
Not all chewing gum has such an effect. Only "sugar-free" chewing gum with added sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol can prevent tooth decay.
The reason why these sugar-free chewing gums can prevent tooth decay is that sugar alcohols cannot be metabolized by oral bacteria to produce acid. Research has also found that xylitol can inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans, further reducing the production of organic acids and lowering the damage to enamel.
In addition, chewing gum can promote the secretion of saliva. Saliva is weakly alkaline and can neutralize organic acids in the mouth while also helping to repair damaged teeth, jointly achieving the effect of preventing sensitive teeth and tooth decay.
However, the fundamental cause of tooth decay lies in the cleaning habits after meals. Therefore, don't rely too much on chewing gum. It's still necessary to do a good job of cleaning or use mouthwash to reduce the chance of tooth decay together!
![Wuxi Gumbase]( "Wuxi Gumbase")
Confusion Four: Does chewing gum increase cerebral blood flow and enhance memory?
A few years ago, there was news that chewing gum would make one smarter. Is this true? According to current research, it can be seen that chewing gum can help increase blood flow and activate brain regions.
Professor Masami Onotsuka of Kanagawa Dental University in Japan once divided 32 subjects into young, middle-aged and elderly groups and had them chew gum. Through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tests, it was found that chewing could increase cerebral blood flow and activate different brain regions.
The blood flow to the brain is also related to the degree of brain operation. Therefore, scholars also speculate that chewing gum can help activate brain regions and may help improve memory or cognitive function.
In addition, the activation degree of the "right prefrontal cortex", which is related to memory, was better in the elderly group (link). From this, it can be known that increasing the number of chews through chewing gum may have the effect of preventing dementia in the elderly.
Chewing gum not only activates the brain for the elderly but also trains their chewing ability! Oral "weight training" can delay the degeneration of facial and oral muscles, allowing the elderly to "eat until old age".
However, a friendly reminder: If the elderly already have dementia or difficulty chewing, they should not chew gum! If you are not careful, you may choke instead. In severe cases, it could lead to aspiration pneumonia, which would be counterproductive!
How to choose chewing gum? How to eat it?
After reading the above four myths debunking, do you have a deeper understanding of chewing gum? Finally, the nutritionist has sorted out three points to note when chewing gum for everyone's reference
1. Only sugar-free "sugar alcohol" chewing gum can have the effect of oral health care! It is also more recommended to choose those with a health registration number certification, as it will be more secure
2. Chew for 10 to 15 minutes each time and then spit it out. Excessive chewing does not enhance the effect of preventing tooth decay.
3. Avoid chewing on only one side. Over time, the masseter muscle on that side will become more developed, and it may also lead to a "face of different sizes".
Author: Wuxi Gum Base
Publication Date: 9/24/2025
