Gum?
According to Wired magazine, chewing too much gum can have a laxative effect and cause dramatic weight loss.
Given that most weight-loss drugs have a difficult time producing one-pound per week weight loss, you might think the scientists would trumpet these findings as a prelude to the newest blockbuster pharmaceutical. But sadly, the drop in pounds was the result of diarrhea and other bowel-trouble caused by ingesting too much sorbitol, a common sweetener that has laxative properties at high dosages.
Reportedly, this was also featured on an episode of House. The moral of the story here is, don’t abuse laxatives. Even in the form of Orbitz vanilla mint gum.
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Eating Disorders, Food, Health, Magazines, Tidbit
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It’s not just the gum, it’s also any sugar-free candy, especially the hard candies. Had that happen to me years ago when I started a diet, and it took me a while to figure out that it was the candy, not something else I had eaten and not the flu. I don’t diet anymore, and I don’t do sugar-free anything anymore either.
I think that the lesson to be had here is that artificial sweeteners of any kind, along with most other processed foods, are terrible for you. :) It’s better to have a reasonable amount of the real thing than any amount of the crappy fake stuff.
I hope this study doesn’t get more publicity.
People smacking on their gum loudly annoys me already; I don’t want the smacking to increase exponentially because the gum will “OMG MAKE ME THINNNNN”.
Dang it…I am a gum fiend, I chew it a lot. I haven’t had any problems whenever I do, though.
I remember the day I learned this lesson. A friend’s roommate brought home some sugar-free candy and encouraged us to help ourselves. It tasted really good, and we ate a lot of it…until we started to feel its effect. We took turns rushing to the bathroom for the rest of the evening, each hoping we could wait until the other came out. I never touched the stuff again.
My brother-in-law recently started taking a popular OTC weight loss drug which has a laxative side effect. He ended up having an accident. At work. He ruined his office chair and had to sit on a piece of cardboard until he finally had the nerve to ask his boss for a new chair. The old chair went into “biohazard waste” and his incident is now office legacy.
To anyone out there who thinks laxatives are a good idea for weight loss – don’t do it!
sugar-free jelly bellies…don’t recommend it. i found i could have about 6 without any special consequences…
Gosh darn. I LOVE Orbitz vanilla mint. Scary.
The sugar-free Jelly Bellies will indeed turn you inside out. My dad has diabetes and loves jelly beans but won’t touch those. He found out how potent they are the hard way!
“I don’t do sugar-free anything anymore either.”
My good Zeus no! My mom was always like ‘it’ll give you the poops’ when I went near sugar free candy so I don’t touch the stuff, I keep real chocolate and have a piece every now and then.
I learned this one the hard way too. Damn you, Russell Stovers!
Also beware the sugar free Halls Vitamin C drops. I make a point of never getting stuff with most artificial sweeteners but failed to notice I grabbed the sugar free by mistake. I’ve had a very annoying lesson about not shopping for OTC medicine with rambunctious kid in tow.