Something to chew on

It is a virtual panacea, apparently, chewing gum. Forget, for a moment, its potential as a catalyst for urban violence (Yes, you, Squelcho, on the tube - get out of my ear!). According to an article in the Guardian today, the gum dealer Wrigley is spending millions on a "research institute" to build upon findings in great, tottering piles of scientific papers propounding the curative powers of its product, writes Simon Busch.

Scientists have already found that, by encouraging the production of spit and thus sluicing acid and bacteria from your mouth, chewing gum will keep your teeth sparkling and douse your halitosis. Other researchers assert that mastication improves your memory: like bovines chewing the cud, gum-chewers exercise their hearts, thus pumping oxygen-rich blood to the forgetful parts of their brains.

The gum movement even avers that regular consumption of Wrigley's gum and related products can put the squeeze on troublesome colons. Bowel patients have apparently been streaming out of hospital after gum treatment, because chewing the substance supposedly tricks the body into thinking it is eating - thereby releasing hormones that awaken the dormant gut.