Chewing gum has its place in our convenience stores, glove compartments, purses and even quite prominently in movies. But what made the gooey sweet treat such a prominent feature of our routines, and where does it come from?
First off, let’s look at what chewing gum actually is (in today’s production): the gum base which includes elastomers, resins waxes and oils, and fillers, all of which serve the function of making the gum chewable and adding texture. Playing around with those formulas allows producers to change the chewing experience, which makes the liquid fillings that ooze out when chewing as possible as the cold hard traditional gum strips we all know. Adding to that, chewing gum contains artificial flavours and sweeteners such as xylitol and sorbitol – as chewing gum is increasingly available without sugar.
The history of chewing gum dates back thousands of years. The earliest evidence of chewing gum comes from ancient Greece and ancient Egypt, where people chewed on tree resins and other natural gums. The Mayans and Aztecs of Central America also chewed on chicle, a natural gum made from the sap of the sapodilla tree.
In the 1840s, John B. Curtis developed the first commercial chewing gum made from spruce resin. His gum, called State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum, was a hit and soon became popular across the United States. In the 1860s, Thomas Adams brought chicle from Mexico to the United States and began experimenting with it as a chewing gum base. He eventually developed a flavored chewing gum that he called Adams’ Black Jack.
In the early 1900s, chewing gum began to take off in popularity. Frank Fleer, a chewing gum manufacturer, developed the first bubble gum in 1906. His gum, called Blibber-Blubber, was not very successful, but it inspired him to develop a better bubble gum. In 1928, Fleer introduced Dubble Bubble, which became the first commercially successful bubble gum.
My own grandparents in Luxembourg experienced how American soldiers distributed chewing gum to civilians while liberating Europe. The product had not been commercialized in Europe yet and was a sign of liberation and freedom.
Today, we can look at chewing gum with different eyes. While it might have lost its appeal as a freedom-inducing confectionary, it has gained in popularity for its health benefits. Other than preventing tooth decay, sugar-free chewing gum has a wide array of benefits that far surpass dental care. “Based on current evidence, chewing gum is an inexpensive, well-tolerated, safe, and effective way to relieve anxiety and stress”, lays out a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials from last year. Chewing gum increases blood flow to the brain. This, in turn, increases oxygen to the brain, which can help enhance your memory and cognitive performance.
Chewing gum is also proven to improve short-term memory, in a study in which researchers explicitly recommend that students chew gum before exams to overcome exam stress “and to enhance exam success”. A similar study from 2018 found that chewing gum can enhance various cognitive processes associated with learning. It is important to note here that the act of chewing did not improve “post-test” cognitive ability, underlining that it is a short-term cognitive boost, and won’t make you constructively more focused. The upside on that point: since sugar-free gum has no adverse side-effects, it can be repeated whenever challenging study sessions are upon us, or when we’re trying to simply relax from those tasks.
For long chewing gum was a mere recreational activity, but the mountain of evidence showing the benefits of gum should make us look at it more as a health addition than a sweet treat… even though, why not enjoy some pineapple flavour with our mood booster?
