Extra’s 3 pm Snackdown Challenge Not Worth Accepting

“It’s 3 p.m. What are you craving?”

This is the question that the Wrigley’s chewing gum company is asking people looking to lose weight.  In partnership with the hit reality TV show “The Biggest Loser” on NBC – the show that follows the trials and travails of overweight men and women who are pitted against one another in an exercise battle of the bulge – Wrigley wants people to opt for chewing instead of chowing.  Or to use their own witty slogan: “Chew More, Snack Less.”

On the surface, this sounds all well and good.  After all, you’re definitely more likely to lose weight by chewing on a few three-and-a-half calorie sticks of gum than a few sticks of pretzels.

But there’s a problem with traditional sugarless chewing gum that goes unnoticed by everyone but your digestive system.  And it begins and ends with sorbitol.

Read virtually any food package that proclaims itself “sugar-free” and you’ll find chief among the ingredient listings “sorbitol.”  It’s this chemical concoction that gives these foods their sugary flavor, minus the calories.

But by eating several sticks of gum instead of several sticks of pretzels – which is essentially what Extra and “The Biggest Loser” show are suggesting you do – that sorbitol puts a sober toll on your digestive tract.

German researchers discovered this after people complaining of chronic diarrhea came to them, wondering what the problem was.  When they told the doctors that they were eating 15 to 20 sticks of gum a day, it didn’t take the researchers long to determine what their problem was.

As Dr. Juergen Bauditz wrote in the British Medical Journal at the time, many people may not be aware of the fact that sorbitol has a profoundly adverse impact on the digestive system, which can lead to chronic diarrhea, functional bowel complaints and unintended weight loss.  Simply by cutting back from that amount of sorbitol can solve the issue.

And that’s just what happened with the man and woman:  when the constant chewing stopped, the constant “going” stopped.

Chewing gum isn’t a bad thing, necessarily.  It’s all about how much you’re eating and what kind.  Stay away from the sugar and “sugar-free” kind you find in stores, as there are plenty of sticky issues associated with them than “digestion congestion.”

The best gum is Spry gum.  I’ve written about this gum in the past. What makes it so great is that it’s made with 100 percent Xylitol (other gums that use Xylitol, like Trident, only use some Xylitol in the production process).  Not only that, Xylitol is a natural sweetener that actually improves dental health and has no adverse impact on the digestive system.

For more information on Spry gum, visit their Web site.  Until then, when 3 p.m. hits, don’t go chew wild on sorbitol-flavored gum.  It may tamp down your appetite, but your digestive system will be feeling nothing but spite as a result.

Sources
reuters.com
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