Chewing gum, with various successes "protecting from caries" or "refreshing breath", have become the same attribute of modernity as hot dogs or "McDonalds". Not all doctors have recognized their usefulness for health - in recent years, there has been accumulated a lot of information on the relationship of constant chewing with the development of digestive disorders and such pathologies as chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Nevertheless, there is evidence that the "therapeutic" effect of chewing gums.

So, the British scientists from the Royal College of London conducted a small study devoted to the study of the relationship between the use of chewing gums and the severity of reflux esophagitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus, associated with a deficiency of the cardia of the stomach and periodic casting of acidic gastric contents into the esophagus. After asking 21 patients with reflux esophagitis, within a month every other day for 30 minutes of chewing gum after eating, they found that chewing actually reduces the severity of the symptoms of the disease. In addition, after chewing in patients, there was a decrease in the level of acidity in the esophagus, that is, the elimination of the main etiological factor of reflux esophagitis.

Scientists have suggested that the positive effect of chewing gum in reflux-esophagitis is associated with the production of saliva in response to chewing movements. Saliva, having an alkaline reaction, partially neutralizes the acidic contents of the stomach entering the esophagus, thus providing a protective action.

It should be noted that the reliability of the results of this study from the statistical point of view is not very high. In addition, part of the costs associated with the study were paid by the company "Wrigley".

medicus. en.