Could my chewing gum be causing my IBS!?

 Can chewing gum cause abdominal pain and bloating?

Did you know that the oldest piece of gum is around 9,000 years old, and was found in Sweden.

Did you also know that excessive chewing of gum can lead to irritable bowel syndrome type symptoms.  If you suffer with irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain, excessive gas and abdominal bloating, and you chew gum regularly, then I would urge you to stop.

When you chew gum, small amounts of air are being forced into your stomach and bowels.  Additionally, the constant chewing stimulate the production of  saliva and digestive enzymes.  If these digestive enzymes have nothing in the stomach to work on and break down, they will create irritation, gas and bloating.

You can perhaps try chewing one of the more natural gums.  Look at the natural chewing gums by Peppersmith at: www.peppersmith.co.uk  They’ve had their gums tested by the British Dental Association.  Peppersmith use naturally derived xylitol in their gums, instead of sugar. Xylitol has also been shown to reduce the amount of plaque that can build up on your teeth, and reduce cavities. Peppersmith don’t use artificial colours, flavourings , preservative, synthetic gum bases or synthetic sweeteners.  There are no animal derivatives either, that some gum manufacturers use.

Peppersmith also provide little papers in their packets of gum, so when you’ve finished with the gum, you can spit it out into the paper, and put it in the nearest bin, instead of what some people do, and throw it on the floor!

You can get ‘sugar-free’ gums out there, but they usually put sorbitol or aspartamane in them, and if you chew a lot of gum, you may get diarrhoea.