Chewing Gum Without Sugar - To Blame For Extra Pounds

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have concluded that sugar-free chewing gum can actually cause obesity.
Sugar-free chewing gum has long been thought to clean and protect teeth from caries, increase salivary gland secretion and even improve digestion. There have even been studies that show that chewing gum significantly speeds up recovery after stomach surgery and also helps the gut function properly.
 

Recently, however, the question of the benefits of chewing gum has become increasingly controversial. According to a recent study by British scientists, regular chewing of chewing gum containing sweeteners can lead to the accumulation of large amounts of aspartame in the body.
 

The results are based on a study of more than 270 volunteers, of whom 215 were men and 56 were women. Participants were divided into two groups, with each of the first group having to chew a few chewing gums a day, and the volunteers of the second group were forbidden to chew. All participants continued to follow their current diet.
 

After six months, the data from the two groups were compared, and it became clear that those who regularly chewed gum with sweeteners gained weight. Many of them complained of stomach problems and exacerbation of symptoms of gastritis and ulcers.
 

According to the authors of the study, aspartame increases the deposition of fat in the body by 40% more than regular sugar.
 

Aspartame is a sweetener discovered in 1965. also by accident. After more than 100 studies on product safety, in 1981. it has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), stating that it does not increase the risk of developing malignancies in laboratory animals. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Unlike other sweeteners, it should not be used in cooking involving heat treatment. It is a dipeptide of aspartic acid and a methyl ester of phenylalanine. The latter determines the need to limit the consumption of aspartame products among patients with phenylketonuria. The daily allowable dose is estimated at 50 mg / kg body weight, for children - up to 10 mg / kg body weight. Normally a person consumes up to 5 mg / kg of body weight aspartame through drinks, food, medication.

In double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, high doses of apsartam have been shown to cause headache crises in migraine patients, to worsen the symptoms of depressive affective disorder. Its use in pregnant women, babies and young children is not recommended due to some risk of neurological complications. The role of the substance in the development of malignant diseases such as brain tumors, lymphomas, leukemias and others has been widely studied. So far, however, there is no conclusive evidence of a link between them. Its metabolites, such as aspartate, methanol and diketopiperazine, are to blame for the harmful effects of aspartame. Aspartame as well as other artificial sweeteners are often used by diabetics. However, its uncontrolled use, against the background of regular insulin intake, can cause hypoglycemia with its consequences.