never thought this would matter much, but i was, now that i look back to it, a compulsive sugar-free gum chewer. i noticed that from time to time my BG would rise after chewing several pieces of gum, but i never thought much of it.
then i was dx with D Gastroparises and i could no longer tolerate gum, so i handed my left-overs to my husband and gave up my habit. it was not easy at first. i know that that might sound very silly, but it was like people who cannot just have one potato chip; they have to eat the whole bag. well my gum chewing days came to an abrupt stop.
over about 6 months now, i have noticed changes in my BG. more controlled, less of an unexpected rise, etc etc.
i know that this is a silly thread, but i was just wondering if anyone else out there is a gum chewer and if they have ever noticed problems of any form with it.
Not silly @daisymae. Was a compulsive chewer for years and now occasionally pop one (garlic au jus anyone)? BG’s way more stable. I have always believed that, as the body seems to recognize artificial sweeteners almost like straight sugar, that the metabolic effect had something to do with it. I have stayed (mostly) away from sweeteners in general. Figure if that’s going to happen I may as well go for the good stuff!
i have this issue with SPLENDA, which i use in my morning decaf. i use an embarrassing amount (6 of those innocuous looking bags) i have to account for 20 gms of carbs just to drink my decaf!! (thank god i only have one cup per day!
Not discounting your experience with gum, but it seems to me over the past six months or a year, you’ve done an enormous amount to bring your diabetes into line, when it comes to exercise, figuring out bolusing, changing endos, and more. Not chewing gum anymore may be coincidental?
This is really interesting! There are some hormones that spur a rise in blood sugar the moment food is chewed in people with T1D – in people who do not have T1D, the body simultaneously initiates a second pathway that keeps down blood sugar rises associated with chewing. From what I understand, that’s part of why T1Ds spike so severely after food – it’s not just that the insulin is too slow for the food, it’s that the body starts spewing out sugar the moment food touches the lips.
I need to do some Googling to make sure I’m remembering this correctly. I feel like it may have to do with GLP or amylin or something… ugh
I vaguely recall reading something similar. But the sensors can’t distinguish between types of food. So @daisymae’s BG response would be the same whether she was chewing gum or cheesecake, no?
In fact I would have expected the opposite result, since in a few studies gum-chewing has been shown to decrease appetite.
However, there’s also this study, where “fewer bites per mouthful, at a slower chewing rate, were associated with lower blood sugar levels” could well apply to gum-chewing.
I think the difference is that if you’re chewing gum you’re not taking any insulin. If you’re eating, you are…so maybe the rise effect is being masked.
i dont know what made me think about the gum today. hummm…