Maybe this explains why only four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum to patients who chew gum:
It turns out the first ingredient in most sugarless gums is a laxative: sweet-tasting sorbitol. There’s growing interest among medical providers in harnessing gum’s unintended powers to help patients whose insides are, well, gummed up.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill researchers recently found that patients who chewed sugarless gum after bladder surgery were able to do their business several hours sooner than those who did not. The digestive tract goes on strike after most abdominal surgeries; it can take as long as to four days for things to get moving again. Many patients suffer uncomfortable swelling, nausea and even vomiting.
The study is just the latest to show off sugarless gum’s potential benefit to constipated patients. But prescribing it as a pre-emptive strike remains a sticky subject.
Brandon Roy, a general surgeon who practices in Raleigh, N.C., said some studies have found that gum makes no difference. Others have linked excessive sorbitol consumption to chronic diarrhea and dangerous weight loss.
Like that fifth dentist, Roy doesn’t recommend chewing gum to his patients, but he wouldn’t object if they wanted to give it a whirl.
“I’m an avid gum chewer myself,” said Roy, who claims no firsthand knowledge of sugarless gum’s laxative properties. “I couldn’t deny any of my patients that pleasure.”
Casual chompers can relax: The study found patients had to chew about a pack a day for sugarless gum to work its magic.
