Some of us cannot do without
chewing gum daily. This is
because the flavour or mint of the
gum helps in masking or
preventing mouth odour. While
there are positive benefits of
chewing gum, there are also
downsides you should never
ignore. Jumia Travel, the leading
online travel agency shares some
of these downsides.

It makes you hungry
Chewing gum can activate your
hunger pangs thus increasing your
cravings for food. So, if you do not want to get hungry, do not eat gum
immediately after consuming mama
put. This can also help put your
weight in check.

Tooth damage
If the gum you chew contains sugar,
you are exposing yourself to tooth
decay. It makes no difference if it is a
sugar-free gum, there are still risks to
your teeth. This is because sugar-
free gum has acidic flavours and
preservatives that may lead to tooth
damage.

Excess strain on your jaw
Chewing gum can cause jaw muscle
imbalance especially if you chew on
one side more than the other. To
prevent this jaw strain or pain, you
should chew on both sides.

Causes headache
Young individuals who chew gum are
more susceptible to headaches and
severe migraines. This is due to the
fact that you suffer from jaw strain
and this can cause headaches.

Artificial sweeteners are linked to
cancer
Like earlier said, it makes no
difference whether your gum contains
sugar or not. This is because sugar-
free gum has artificial sweeteners
which are usually used to replace
sugar. The most common one is
aspartame which is a harmful
ingredient that has been linked to
cancers, brain tumours, weight gain
and birth defects.

It can result in farting
Chewing gum allows too much air
into your body. This can result in bloating which is why you fart very
often.

It doesn’t prevent bad breath
Bad breath is a symptom of digestive
problems or excessive tooth decay.
You should deal with the root cause
of the problem rather than using
chewing gum to hide it. You will
realise that even if you stop chewing it, the hallitosis still remains.

-Ogunfowoke Adeniyi