10 of the Most Disgusting Things You Never Knew about This One Habit

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6. The Release of Mercury

If you have any silver colored fillings in your teeth, this means that they contain mercury. You should be aware that every time you chomp on that stick of gum, you are releasing mercury into your bloodstream. Mercury is a neurotoxin which can cause serious health problems. Every time you chew, mercury vapor is being released into your bloodstream, where it causes an oxidative process in every cell in your body. If you still have silver fillings, you should have them removed and replaced as quickly as possible and absolutely do not chew gum until you have these fillings replaced.

7. Dangerous and Gross Ingredients

OK, so we already talked about formaldehyde, wood alcohol, and lanolin from sheep’s wool, but those gross ingredients are just the tip of the iceberg. Although ingredients vary from brand to brand and even between flavors, let’s take a look at the top ingredients that are in many popular brands and flavors that can cause serious health problems, or are just plain disgusting.

Gum Base – Although manufacturers will rarely tell you what that “gum base” actually is, research shows that it is mainly a mixture of resins, plasticizers, elastomers, petroleum-based wax, carpenter’s glue (polyvinyl acetate) and talc. Nothing sounds yummier than a nice stick of wax and glue flavored plastic, now does it? By the way, most of these chemicals have strong links to the development of cancer.
Titanium Dioxide – This is used as a whitening agent, but has been linked to Crohn’s disease, asthma, and autoimmune problems. One study found that many children are exposed to high levels of this chemical through gum and candy, with gum having the highest levels.
BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) – This is a highly toxic preservative that is banned in many other countries as it has been linked to organ toxicity, which includes liver and kidney damage, hyperactivity in young children, and possibly even cancer.
Calcium Casein Peptone (Calcium Phosphate) – Unfortunately, people read the word “calcium” in an ingredient and think that this means it’s a good thing, but this time around, this ingredient is anything but! This is used as a texturizer and whitening agent. Although it is a milk derivative, it is highly processed and almost nothing is known about its long term use, although this chemical was linked to baby formula poisonings in China and it is a well-known trigger of autoimmune problems.
Phenylalanine – Have you ever picked up a pack of gum and see a warning on the label, that it contains this ingredient? Have you ever wondered what that was and why you were being warned about it? Phenylalanine is added to aspartame and it requires a warning label because if you have certain health conditions, it can be downright dangerous. This ingredient can cause brain seizures, anxiety or panic attacks, sleep problems, and even mental retardation in some persons. How nice! Have a little brain seizure with that stick of gum, ma’am?
Artificial Colors and Flavors – All of these artificial colors and flavors have been linked to so many health problems; it would be hard to list them all here. These cause everything from cancer to seizures, asthma to hyperactivity, insomnia to brain fog.

8. Induces Cravings

Although some people think that they are curbing their cravings for junk food or fast foods or sugary foods by chomping on a stick of gum instead, studies show that this simply isn’t the case. Research has shown that although chewing gum does reduce your motivation to eat, but those who chew gum end up eating unhealthy foods more often than those who don’t chew gum. They also end up consuming more calories than non-gum chewers. This study showed that those who chewed gum ate fewer fruits and vegetables and were instead eating more junk foods like potato chips, candy, and sodas. This is probably because that minty fresh flavor in most gums makes fruits and veggies taste rather bitter.

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