Chewing gum is a type of gum made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle. Chicle is nonetheless still the base of choice for some regional markets, such as Japan.
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Chewing gum in various forms has existed since at least 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic period. 5,000-year-old chewing gum with tooth imprints, made of birch bark tar, has been found in Kierikki, Yli-Ii, Finland. The bark tar of which the gums were made is believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal advantages.[1] The ancient Aztecs used chicle as a base for making a gum-like substance. Women in particular used this gum as a mouth freshener.
Forms of chewing gums were also used in Ancient Greece. The Greeks chewed mastic gum, made from the resin of the mastic tree.[2] Many other cultures have chewed gum-like substances made from plants, grasses, and resins.
The American Indians chewed resin made from the sap of spruce trees.[3] The New England settlers picked up this practice, and in 1848, John B. Curtis developed and sold the first commercial chewing gum called The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum. Around 1850 a gum made from paraffin wax was developed and soon exceeded the spruce gum in popularity. William Semple filed an early patent on chewing gum, patent number 98,304, on December 28, 1869.[4]
Modern chewing gum was first developed in the 1860s when chicle was exported from Mexico for use as a rubber substitute. Chicle did not succeed as a replacement for rubber, but as a gum it was soon adopted and due to newly established companies such as Adams New York Chewing Gum (1871), Black Jack (1884) and “Chiclets” (1899), it soon dominated the market.[5] Chicle gum, and gum made from similar latexes, had a smoother and softer texture and held flavor better. Most chewing gum companies have since switched to synthetic gum bases because of their low price and availability.
Sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol has been shown to reduce cavities and plaque.[6] The sweetener sorbitol has the same benefit, but is only about one-third as effective as xylitol.[6] Xylitol is specific in its inhibition of Streptococcus mutans, bacteria that are significant contributors to tooth decay.[7] Xylitol inhibits Streptococcus mutans in the presence of other sugars, with the exception of fructose.[8] Daily doses of xylitol below 3.44 grams are ineffective and doses above 10.32 grams show no additional benefit.[9] Calcium lactate added to toothpaste has reduced calculus formation.[10] One study has shown that calcium lactate enhances enamel remineralization when added to xylitol-containing gum,[11] but another study showed no additional remineralization benefit from calcium lactate or other calcium compounds in chewing-gum.[12]
Other studies[13] indicated that the caries preventive effect of chewing sugar-free gum is related to the chewing process itself rather than being an effect of gum sweeteners or additives, such as polyols and carbamide.
Over 80% of cavities occur inside pits and fissures in chewing surfaces where food is trapped under chewing pressure and carbohydrate like sugar is changed to acid by resident plaque bacteria that brushing cannot reach.[citation needed]
Several randomized controlled studies have investigated the use of chewing gum in reducing the duration of post-operative ileus following abdominal and specifically gastrointestinal surgery. These suggest gum chewing, as a form of 'sham feeding', is a useful treatment therapy.[14]
Chewing gum is used as a novel approach for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). One hypothesis is that chewing gum stimulates the production of more bicarbonate-containing saliva and increases the rate of swallowing. After the saliva is swallowed, it neutralizes acid in the esophagus. In effect, chewing gum exaggerates one of the normal processes that neutralize acid in the esophagus.[15] However chewing gum is sometimes considered to contribute to the development of stomach ulcers. It stimulates the stomach to secrete acid and the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes that aren't required.[16]
Concern has arisen about the possible carcinogenicity of the vinyl acetate (acetic acid ethenyl ester) used by some manufacturers in their gum bases. Currently the ingredient can be hidden in the catch-all term "gum base". The Canadian government at one point classified the ingredient as a "potentially high hazard substance."[17] However, on January 31, 2009, the Government of Canada's final assessment concluded that exposure to vinyl acetate is not considered to be harmful to human health.[18] This decision under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) was based on new information received during the public comment period, as well as more recent information from the risk assessment conducted by the European Union.
One old wives' tale says that swallowed gum will remain in a human's stomach for up to 4 years, but with the new technology, it can be desintegrated with special medical help. According to several medical opinions, there seems to be little truth behind the tale. In most cases, swallowed gum will pass through the system as fast as any other food.[19] There have been a few cases where swallowing gum has required medical attention, but these cases are more or less related to chronic gum swallowers. One young boy swallowed several pieces each day and had to be hospitalized,[20] and another young girl required medical attention when she swallowed her gum and four coins, which got stuck together in her esophagus.[19] A bezoar is formed in the stomach when food or other foreign objects stick to gum and build up, causing intestinal blockage.[21] As long as the mass of gum is small enough to pass out of the stomach, it will likely pass out of the body easily.[citation needed]
Many schools do not allow chewing gum because students often dispose of it inappropriately, or because it is distracting to others in the classroom by smacking.[22]
Singapore also had a ban on chewing gum because it was not disposed of properly.[23]
Disney, Universal Studios, Seaworld, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and Busch Gardens Theme Parks have banned the selling of gum to help keep the grounds cleaner.[citation needed]
Chewing gum is commonly stuck underneath benches and tables or to the surface of sidewalks, and is difficult to remove once dried. Chewing gum is not biodegradable, making it a potential hazard to the environment.
Chewing gum is a type of confection traditionally made of chicle or synthetic rubber.
Chewing gum may also refer to:
Chewing Gum is a British television sitcom series that debuted on E4 on 13 October 2015. It was written by and stars Michaela Coel, Robert Lonsdale, Susan Wokoma, Danielle Walters and Tanya Franks. The show involves Tracey Gordon, a restricted, religious 22 year old shop assistant, who wants to learn more about the world. Series one premiered on 6 October 2015 until 10 November 2015. On the 3 December E4 ordered a second series for 2016.
Myles MacInnes (born 10 May 1978, Broadford, Isle of Skye, Scotland), better known by the stage name Mylo, is a Scottish electronic musician and record producer.
MacInnes was educated at his local high school on the Isle of Skye and, after successfully gaining admission and a scholarship, George Watson's College, a private school in Morningside, Edinburgh. After completing his Certificate of Sixth Year Studies, with one course in chemistry and four in mathematics, MacInnes gained admission and matriculated to the University of Edinburgh. MacInnes had no plan after high school and initially wanted to lay bricks in Australia, but he was unable to obtain a visa.
At the University of Edinburgh, MacInnes studied mathematics, taking second-year mathematics classes in his first year. Submitting an open application, he then applied to study mathematics and philosophy at the University of Oxford and was allocated Brasenose College. In 1999, MacInnes graduated in Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology with a first-class degree.
Mylo can refer to:
Skye or the Isle of Skye (/skaɪ/; Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or Eilean a' Cheò) is the largest and most northerly major island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillins, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. Although it has been suggested that the Gaelic Sgitheanach describes a winged shape there is no definitive agreement as to the name's origins.
The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period and its history includes a time of Norse rule and a long period of domination by Clan MacLeod and Clan Donald. The 18th-century Jacobite risings led to the breaking up of the clan system and subsequent Clearances that replaced entire communities with sheep farms, some of which also involved forced emigrations to distant lands. Resident numbers declined from over 20,000 in the early 19th century to just under 9,000 by the closing decade of the 20th century. Skye's population increased by 4 per cent between 1991 and 2001. About a third of the residents were Gaelic speakers in 2001, and although their numbers are in decline this aspect of island culture remains important.
Skye is the largest island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.
Skye may also refer to:
There's a little piece of you tangled in my hair
Get it out, I don't want it there
There's a little piece of you clawing at my ribcage
Let it out, it needs to be saved
Hell No
Mother you're wrong that fucker's not gone
He's here in my bed, dying
Rotting away, just smell that decay
While you're all asleep I'm crying
There's a little piece of you still catching on my ribbon
Get it off, 'cause I simply don't love you
Not again, I'm not broken
Hell No
Mother you're wrong that fucker's not gone
He's here in my bed, dying
Rotting away, just smell that decay
While you're all asleep I'm crying
He has locked me up
Punched air holes in this box
Left me in this cage
Left me here for days
And I can't find signs for an exit
Collectively we find
A person can't survive
Without an ounce of love
Without an ounce of woe
Mother you're wrong that fucker's not gone
He's here in my bed, dying
Rotting away, just smell that decay