Gum chewing is not considered a sophisticated pursuit. Yet chewing gum has, quietly, come of age. No longer just for kids to blow bubbles with, it is becoming a health aid for adults: to fight cavities, deliver vaccines, cure ear infections and soothe an ulcer. And the evolution of chewing gum from a sticky-sweet vice into a nutraceutical — the fashionable term for foods with medicinal properties — is driving sales.

 

The $12 billion gum market is growing by 3 per cent a year, a decent rate for food; but within that, sales of sugarless gum are rising by 15 per cent a year. Sugar-free brands of Wrigley, world’s biggest gum maker, are rising by 34 per cent a year.

 

That gum eases tension and helps concentration has been known for years. Chewing helps ease blocked ears and lessens an urge to smoke or snack. But the opportunity generating most excitement now is the use of gum as a cheap, effective delivery mechanism for medicine. Gary Kehoe, Wrigley’s director of new product innovation, says gum outdoes pills at getting certain molecules into the bloodstream because of its prolonged contact with the mouth.

 

Gum is insoluble and is chewed for 20 minutes on average. Alkaline saliva and the lack of stomach acid also give drugs a fighting chance. Wrapping an active molecule in a resin that dissolves slowly allows controlled release.

 

Nicotine anti-smoking gum is one example. But gum can also carry drugs, vitamins, minerals or anti-oxidants; and it can be more pleasant to take than pills or injections. For the food firms, gum that sweetens bad breath and whitens teeth is a hot market. The success of Aquafresh gum and Listerine mouthwash strips is inspiring innovative additions to gum, such as the milk-derived Recaldent and bleaches in Adams’ Trident White brand.

 

The magic ingredient in modern sugarless gums is Xylitol, a sweetener made by a Danish firm from silver-birch pulp. A study in the Journal of Medicine found that Xylitol cuts tooth decay by 70 per cent by inhibiting growth of oral bacteria. The sweetener is central to a battle in Asia to find the next cure-all gum.

 

The Economist