Research work on the influence of chewing gum on cognitive processes. The history of chewing gum: who invented and why The benefits of chewing gum

Since ancient times, people have been chewing something: the ancient Greeks - the resin of the mastic tree, the Mayans - rubber, the Siberians - the resin of the larch, and in India - a mixture of aromatic leaves. All these “chewing gums” gave the breath aroma and freshness, eliminated unpleasant odors, cleaned the teeth, massaged the gums, and simply left a pleasant taste in the mouth. After the discovery of America, chewing tobacco appeared in Europe, which became very widespread.

But this is all background. And the history of chewing gum began on September 23, 1848, when the world's first factory for its production appeared. Factory founder John Curtis made a chewing mixture from the resin of coniferous trees with the addition of flavorings. But the first attempt to make chewing gum on an industrial scale was not successful. Nevertheless, it is from the founding of the factory that the history of chewing gum begins.

On June 5, 1869, an Ohio dentist patented his chewing gum recipe. And in 1871 Thomas Adams received a patent for the invention of a machine for the production of chewing gum. It is at his factory that in 17 years the famous "Tutti-frutti" will be produced - a chewing gum that has conquered all of America.

Since then, chewing gum has undergone many metamorphoses: it has changed colors and tastes, was produced in the form of balls, cubes, butterflies, etc., and has taken a very important place in the life of young people in the second half of the 20th century, and remains very popular today.

13 facts about chewing gum

1. Chewing gum helps to lose weight. American scientists have found that the process of losing weight contributes to the use of chewing gum - it speeds up the metabolism by as much as 19%.

Chewing gum also helps reduce appetite - chewing stimulates nerve endings that transmit a signal to the brain area responsible for satiety.

2. Chewing gum affects memory. There is an active debate about the effect of chewing gum on memory. So, psychologists from England found that chewing gum impairs short-term memory, which is needed for momentary orientation. A person can quickly forget the price of the goods that he just held in his hands, or lose the keys in the apartment. According to scientists, any monotonous unconscious movement adversely affects it, that is, a person becomes more distracted.

But scientists from the University of Newcastle (USA) believe that when chewing, the activity of the parts of the brain responsible for memory increases, insulin production and heart rate increase, which means that a person thinks much better. Japanese researchers came to the same conclusion. During their experiment, the process of chewing reduced the time it took subjects to complete tasks, chewers completed them 10% faster than non-chewers.

3. Chewing gum is helpful. During chewing, salivation increases, which helps to clean the teeth, gums are also massaged, which to some extent is the prevention of periodontal disease.

4. Chewing gum can be chewed for no more than 5 minutes and only after eating. These are the recommendations of the experts. If you chew gum for longer, it will lead to the release of gastric juice into an empty stomach, which contributes to the development of stomach ulcers and gastritis.

5. Chewing gum is not a substitute for brushing your teeth. Dentists are sure that it is impossible to replace a full-fledged brushing with chewing gum. And even if there is no toothbrush at hand, then it is better to replace it with water by rinsing your mouth.

6. Chewing gum does not protect against cavities. Caries does not appear on chewing surfaces, but on interdental surfaces, so there is no benefit from chewing gum to prevent this disease.

7. Chewing gum is bad for teeth. It destroys fillings, crowns and bridges. Destruction has both a mechanical effect on the teeth and a chemical one - saliva, which is formed during chewing, contributes to the formation of alkali that corrodes fillings.

8. Chewing gum helps to recover faster after operations on the large intestine. This is due to the activation of digestive hormones during chewing. So, in the UK, when treating patients after intestinal surgery, it is recommended to chew gum for 30 minutes in the morning, afternoon and evening. This helps patients return to regular food intake faster and shortens the postoperative period. This action of chewing gum is explained by the fact that when chewing, the secretory and motor activity of the intestine is reflexively stimulated.

9. The chewing gum is soothing. It is also a good remedy for stress, improves concentration. “This was proved by English scientists from Northumbria University. Chewing gum plays the role of a "simulator", allowing many to relive the most blissful moments of their lives, when they were still fed mother's milk. People switch off from anxiety, ”explains psychoanalyst Alexander Genschel.

10. Chewing gum does not help get rid of bad breath. It has such a short-term effect that in general it can be called useless.

11. The chewing gum contains a dangerous substance. Aspartame is a sweetener, the substance was invented in 1965 and still causes suspicion among doctors. The fact is that during the breakdown of aspartame, two amino acids are formed in the body - asparagine and phenylalanine, as well as a very dangerous alcohol - methanol. In certain concentrations, methanol is dangerous for pregnant women and affects the normal development of the fetus. In addition, methanol turns into carcinogenic formaldehyde.

12. Chewing gum should not be given to children and pregnant women. American neurologist John Olney proved the danger of glutamate - an amino acid and food additive that enhances taste. He discovered the phenomenon of excitotoxicity: the death of nerve cells due to their overexcitation caused by glutamate and aspartame. According to the scientist, these substances pose a great danger to the developing brain, which means during pregnancy and then until adolescence. The periods when it is definitely worth giving up chewing gum are the last 3 months of pregnancy and the first 4 years of life.

13. There was always chewing gum! Archaeologists have found pieces of prehistoric resin with imprints of human teeth in Northern Europe, which date back to the 7th-2nd millennium BC. The ancient Greeks chewed the resin of the mastic tree, the Indians - the resin of the conifers, the Mayan tribes - chikl.

What can replace chewing gum

Resin

The ancient Greeks chewed the resin of the mastic tree to freshen their breath and cleanse their mouths. The Maya used for the same purpose the frozen juice of hevea - rubber, and the North American Indians chewed the resin of coniferous trees, which they evaporated at the stake. In Siberia, larch resin is still often chewed, at first it crumbles, but then, with long chewing, it gathers into a single piece. She not only cleans her teeth, but also strengthens her gums. They also often chew the resin of cherries, pines, spruces ... But this requires very good and strong teeth. In Soviet childhood, we chewed tar - but this, of course, is the most extreme option.

Zabrus and beeswax

Since ancient times, bee products have been another natural chewing gum. Honeycomb covers - zabrus - are not so convenient to chew, because they crumble in the mouth, but they are very useful, since they also contain bee saliva, honey, and a little bee venom, with which bees seal honeycombs. In zabrus there is a high concentration of vitamins A, B, C, E, there are almost all trace elements necessary for a person and a very rare type of fat secreted by bee glands.

Coffee beans

You can freshen your breath not with chewing gum, but ... with coffee. You need to chew a few grains, this will beat off all unpleasant odors, such as garlic or alcohol. The fact is that coffee beans contain substances that destroy bacteria - the cause of unpleasant odors. In addition, small amounts of coffee are useful - invigorate and improve memory.

Mint and parsley leaves

Chewing gum is often chewed to silence the stomach for food. In fact, this is a rather harmful activity, since the use of chewing gum on an empty stomach can lead to gastritis or exacerbate existing gastric diseases. To drown out the feeling of hunger and, by the way, freshen your breath, you can chew a mint leaf or a sprig of parsley. These herbs are rich in essential oils and vitamins, they will not bring harm, but the appetite will dull.

Chewing marmalade

A sweet and healthy gum substitute is gummies. It is easy to prepare it yourself, and if you use molds or cut out figures from it, then with such marmalade you can distract the child from chewing gums in bright wrappers.

To prepare chewing marmalade, you will need fruits (apples, pears), sugar, water, vegetable or olive oil. You need to clean the fruit, turn them into a puree, boil with sugar and water. When this mass has cooled and caramelized, grease a wooden board with vegetable oil and put fruit puree on it, cover it with gauze. In summer, this mass can be placed where the sun's rays fall. After a while, cut it into slices.

Many people chew gum as a snack simply because they enjoy the taste or its distraction. Some use it to relieve stress or even as a tool to reduce food cravings (this usually doesn't work, as I'll explain in a nutshell).

If you chew gum a lot, there is strong evidence that it is one of the habits you should quit. From its questionable ingredients to its effect on your teeth and digestion, chewing gum should be thrown straight into the bin - not chewed.

6 Unpleasant Side Effects of Chewing Gum

Chewing gum linked to headaches in adolescence

Teenagers are notorious for chewing gum frequently. If your child often chews gum and suffers, you should know that this connection was recently established.

One study involved 30 people who chewed gum daily between the ages of six and 19. Each of them suffered from chronic migraine or headaches.

After stopping chewing gum for one month, 19 of them experienced complete headache relief, and another seven experienced a reduction in headache frequency and severity. Twenty-six children started chewing gum again and their headaches returned within a few days.

Researchers believe the headaches may be related to a temporomandibular joint disorder caused by chewing gum, which can cause headaches. Previous research has also shown that chewing gum can cause headaches through exposure to aspartame.

Most chewing gum contains artificial sweeteners

You may not be able to pay much attention to the ingredients of gum because, after all, you are not going to swallow it. But the ingredients, many of which are potentially dangerous, penetrate into your body, right through the walls of your mouth.

As with toxic ingredients in personal care products such as lotion, which are absorbed directly through the skin and into the bloodstream, the ingredients in gum are also quickly and directly absorbed by your body, bypassing the digestive system, which normally helps filter out some of the toxins.

One such type of harmful chemical is artificial sweeteners, which are commonly added to chewing gum. Many people choose sugar-free gum on purpose, believing it to be healthier than other types. But even sugar-free brands may contain artificial sweetener. For them, this is normal.

One of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners in chewing gum is aspartame. Aspartame is metabolized inside your body into both wood alcohol (poison) and formaldehyde (which is a carcinogen used as embalming fluid and is not eliminated from your body through normal waste filtration by your liver and kidneys). It has been linked to birth defects, cancer, brain tumors, and weight gain.

Sucralose (Splenda), another common artificial sweetener used in chewing gum, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on only two human studies, the longest of which was only four days long - although animal studies have shown that the sweetener has been associated with reduced red blood cells (a sign of anemia), male infertility, enlarged kidneys, spontaneous abortions, and increased mortality.

You may also be surprised to know that consuming artificial sweeteners can cause distortions in your biochemistry that can make you gain weight.

Research looking into this issue shows very clearly that artificial sweeteners can actually increase weight more than sugar by stimulating your appetite, increasing carbohydrate cravings, and stimulating fat storage.

4 chewing gum ingredients to avoid

There are natural chewing gums on the market that do not contain these dubious ingredients, so if you need to chew gum, look for them.

However, be aware that even natural chewing gum will pose a risk for excessive chewing, including temporomandibular joint disorder, digestive issues, and more.

1. BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene): BHT is so toxic that it is already banned in many countries. In the US, it is often used as a preservative in chewing gum and other processed foods. BHT is associated with organ toxicity, including kidney and liver damage, hyperactivity in children, and may be carcinogenic.

2. Calcium peptone casein (calcium phosphate): Found in Trident chewing gum, it is suggested that this ingredient can be used as a bleaching agent or texturizer. As a highly processed dairy derivative, little is known about long-term consumption, although casein has previously been linked to infant formula poisoning in China and is a well-known autoimmunity trigger.

3. Chew base: It's a bit of a mystery what "gum base" actually is, but the researchers found that it's usually a mixture of elastomers, resins, plasticizers, and fillers. Most manufacturers do not disclose details. After all, they don't want you to know that you're potentially chewing on paraffin wax, polyvinyl acetate (PVA), and talc, all of which have been linked to cancer.

4. Titanium dioxide: Titanium dioxide is often used as a whitening agent in chewing gum, but it has been linked to autoimmune disorders, asthma, and Crohn's disease and is potentially carcinogenic, especially in nanoparticulate form. One study found that children are highly exposed to titanium dioxide in confectionery, with chewing gum containing the highest levels.

Why are you chewing gum?

Below are a few common reasons people chew gum, as well as alternatives to help you kick the habit, but feel free to list your own creative solutions in the comment section below.

• For stress relief: Try these eight tips to eliminate stress as well, which is based on the concept that vital energy flows through your body along invisible pathways known as meridians. EFT stimulates various energy meridian points in your body by pressing them with your fingertips while using your own verbal affirmations.
• To freshen your breath A: Take your toothbrush and toothpaste with you so you can brush your teeth even when you're on the go. A natural breath spray also works well for this purpose.
• To overcome food cravings: Tapping and positive affirmations of EFT are often effective in reducing food cravings.
• For flavor: For healthier flavor options, try drinking water infused with fresh mint leaves, cinnamon, or citrus fruits.

Completed by: 11th grade student

Danielian A.

Head: biology teacher

Kucherenko E.V.

P. Krasnogornyatsky

Content.

I. Introduction 3 pages

II. The influence of chewing gum on thought processes

person.

History of chewing gum 4 p.

Composition of chewing gum 5-6 pages.

“Choosing Pleasure” pp. 6-7.

"A little about the sad" 7-8 pp.

III. Material and method 9 p.

IV. Research results 10-13 pages.

V. Conclusions page 14

VI. List of used literature 15 pages.

VII. Application

Introduction.

Chewing gum is chewed by everyone - both children and adults. The demand for it does not depend on fashion or season and always remains stable. Today, in the homeland of chewing gum - in the United States - more than 100 varieties of chewing gum are sold. Every year, Americans spend $2 billion on chewing gum. The average US citizen consumes 300 pieces of gum a year.

In Russia, the most chewing group of the population is the group of schoolchildren. Every 3rd student chews daily from one to 3 hours, which leaves much to be desired.

What is the reason for such an addiction of people to chewing gum? Each person chews for their own purposes. Most people use chewing gum to freshen their breath. The smallest amount is chewed by inertia. And only a negligible number of people refuse chewing gum.

Propaganda also affects the minds of a large public. Everyone is familiar with the advertising of chewing gums "Wrigley" and "Dirola" and many others: we see it on TV screens, pages of newspapers and magazines, advertising posters. Small packs of chewing gum are big business. However, there was no detailed information about this product, and there is not: consumers know about it no more than advertising allows. – That is why this topic has become the object of my attention.

However, if people do not reduce the use of chewing gum, then perhaps in 50 years the planet Earth can be called a chewing planet.

In my research work, I set myselfgoal - to reveal the influence of chewing gum on human cognitive processes.

To achieve her goal, she set herself certaintasks:

To study the history of the origin and use of chewing gum.

To study the composition of chewing gum and to establish the effect of harmful substances contained in it on the human body.

To reveal the influence of chewing gum on cognitive processes.

Determine the reason for using chewing gum.

The study was conducted on the basis of secondary school No. 23 of the Oktyabrsky district of the Rostov region in 2009.

II . The influence of chewing gum on cognitive processes.

History of chewing gum.

Since very ancient times, the passion of mankind for the process of chewing has been known. This is confirmed by archaeological finds leading back to the Stone Age. Pieces of prehistoric resin with imprints of human teeth have been found in Northern Europe. They are dated to the 7th-2nd millennium BC. For centuries, Greeks chewed mastic gum, which was obtained from the bark of the mastic tree, a bushy plant found mainly in Greece and Turkey. From the Indians of New England, American colonists learned to chew the rubbery resin that forms on spruce trees when the bark is cut off. Pieces of spruce resin have been sold in the eastern United States since the early 1800s, the first commercial chewing gum in that country. Around the 1850s, sweetened wax became widespread, and subsequently it greatly surpassed spruce resin in popularity.

The modern variety of chewing gum first appeared in the late 1860s whenchicle . Chicle is made from the milk sap (latex) of the sapodilla tree, which grows in the tropical rainforests of Central America. Improvements in the methods of production of this product have led to the birth of a new type of industry.

The twentieth century is so far the only century in history from the beginning to the end of which mankind chewed gum. This product was invented only a little over a hundred years ago, but by the beginning of the 20th century it had become the most popular entertainment, for which millions of people willingly paid money. Chewing gum turned out to be a real commercial miracle. And, to a certain extent, even a product that can be used to tell the history of the twentieth century.

It seemed that humanity acquired a new "fad" only for a while, until the eccentric fashion disappears. Fate, however, decreed otherwise. Did William Wrigley know, did other pioneers of the "chewing industry" know that that same trifle, "something for something", as they once called their product, will remain the favorite pastime of millions of people, for many years turning into an object essentials?

New inventions formed a new world community in which people were connected by invisible threads of preferences and tastes. Being in the form of a tool for the socialization of people, chewing gum introduced an element of personalization, giving a way to look at the world from its own, unique position. Chewing gum is the closest thing to a person: what could be closer than what is in the mouth? Even in a pack, the records are individuals, being isolated from each other. Each of them is dressed in their own wrapper shirt, and each has its own destiny.

Composition of chewing gum.

Chewing gum is a tool that improves the hygienic condition of the oral cavity by increasing the amount of saliva and the rate of salivation, which helps to clean the surfaces of the tooth and neutralize organic acids secreted by plaque bacteria.

The composition of chewing gum includes: base (to bind all ingredients), sweeteners (sugar, corn syrup or sweeteners), flavors (for good taste and aroma), softeners (to create the appropriate consistency during chewing).

In any chewing gum, the main ingredient is sugar (may also be glucose or dextrose) or sweeteners. They provide 60 to 80% of the chewing gum's weight. All of these substances are found in nature. They can be found, for example, in many fruits, such as pears, apples, and also in berries (for example, cherries or strawberries). Sweeteners are less sweet than sugar (from 0.9 to 0.4 if we take the sweetness of sucrose as 1). Therefore, in order to compensate for the less sweet taste of the product without sugar, intense sweeteners - aspartame or acesulfame potassium - are used. Since their sweetness exceeds the sweetness of sugar hundreds of times, they are used in gum in very small quantities (so the content of aspartame in gum is several times lower than in a ripe pear - there is more of it in one pear than in a block of our gum). The only restriction on the use of chewing gum is associated with the use of aspartame - since one of its components is phenylalalin, gum with aspartame is contraindicated for use by patients with phenylketonuria (a rare hereditary disease) - phenylalalin significantly worsens their well-beinginaction.

Currently, chewing gum containing the sweetener xylitol, the anti-cariesogenic effect of which was first shown by studies at the University of Turku, Finland, is predominantly used. Xylitol, received with chewing gum, remains in the oral cavity for a long time and has a beneficial effect.

To give chewing gum flavor, flavors are added to it - complex mixtures of natural and artificially obtained aromatic substances. To ensure a longer preservation of taste during chewing, various complex modern technologies are used, such as encapsulation of flavors (when using this technology, the aromatic substance enters, as it were, into a micro-bag from a neutral substance. When chewing, the bags burst gradually, providing a gradual release of the flavor). Flavors are created on the basis of natural oils of various plants and fruits. Moisture-retaining stabilizers such as glycerin are used to prevent chewing gum from losing moisture and becoming brittle. Sour gums (Lemon Fresh) use various organic acids to provide flavor, such as citric acid. For dyeing gum, food coloring is used that is safe for use in food. For example, titanium dioxide dye is used to give the Orbit glaze a snow-white color. Dragee gum requires ingredients to form the glaze from the sweetener, such as gum arabic or carnouba wax.

"Choosing Pleasure"

If you look at the label of our gum, you will notice that most of the ingredients are accompanied by an E index - an index for the nomenclature of food additives. Most of them are completely harmless, and many of them are familiar to us at home - for example, salt, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), vinegar, etc.

The use of food additives that could be harmful if consumed in excess is strictly regulated. Their maximum content in products is calculated so that during normal use they in no way exceed the threshold dose at which harmful effects on the body can occur. So, for example, in order to harm yourself by excessive consumption of the antioxidant E320, you need to chew about a kilogram of gum at a time.

No matter how difficult it is to make out the small inscriptions on the packages, read them. Chewing gum contains both beneficial and harmful substances.

With "+" sign

Studies have found that replacing sugar with sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol reduces the incidence of caries. Most chewing gums use these sweeteners.

It is good when calcium lactate is present in chewing gum: tooth enamel receives this mineral from saliva to restore microdamages.

With sign "-"

Most often, chewing gum contains dyes - E171, E102, E133, E129, E132, taste stabilizers - E414, E422, emulsifier - E322, which harm the liver.

It is better to refrain from chewing gum with "natural identical flavors". Incomplete information on the label can already be classified as a sign of poor product quality.

Chewing gums made in third world countries use styrene-butadiene rubber (in Russia it is forbidden to use it in food production). Such "chewing gum" can only be determined by tasting: it is usually more rigid, quickly loses its taste and begins to taste bitter.

« A bit of sad stuff."

Let's start with the fact that the use of "chewing gum" is the prerogative of people with healthy teeth and gums in general. It is better for those suffering from periodontitis not to chew after eating, but to rinse their mouth with dental elixirs and herbal infusions. A few years ago, some US states, Singapore and some European countries began to ban chewing gum in public places. This is done not only for environmental reasons (during the "gum" boom, asphalt on the streets of large cities was literally overgrown with "waste") and not because chewing can distract from work, but also because to an absolutely harmless, not containing no narcotic additives modern chewing gum is developing ... addictive. Almost the same as coffee and cigarettes.

Not only do psychologists state a painful addiction in an eternal chewer, in addition to everything they note that children who do not release “chewing gum” from their mouths have a reduced level of intelligence. The rubber band makes it impossible to concentrate, dulls attention and weakens the process of thinking. And dentists, in turn, warn that after a couple of years of continuous chewing, diseases associated with periodontal congestion begin to progress.

Studies conducted by American doctors have shown that there are other side effects:

destruction of bridges, crowns and other dental structures

overdevelopment of chewing muscles

an increase in mercury levels in the body in people with old dental fillings

amalgams

aerophagia (swallowing excess air), etc.. (Attachment 1)

One of the most important properties of chewing gum is its ability to increase salivation three times compared to the state of rest, while saliva also enters hard-to-reach dental areas.

Chewing gum exerts its effect on oral tissues in the following ways:

increases the rate of salivation;

stimulates the secretion of saliva with increased buffer capacity;

contributes to the neutralization of dental plaque acids;

favors washing with saliva of hard-to-reach areas of the oral cavity;

improves the clearance of sucrose from saliva;

Helps to remove leftovers.

It is necessary to dwell on objections to the use of chewing gum, mentioning diseases of the stomach, lesions of the temporomandibular joint. If chewing gum is used correctly, then pathology will not occur.Chewing is extra work for underused jaws, excellent training of gum vessels and a means of combating soft plaque.In accordance with the results of numerous studies, it is possible to offer recommendations for the use of chewing gum. (Appendix 2).

Materials and methods.

Checking logical thinking.

Objective: assessment of logical thinking.

Equipment: stopwatch, a sheet of paper with the image of numerical series.

To assess the logical thinking of a person, I distributed sheets of paper with the image of numerical series to four subjects (Appendix 3). Each of the volunteers spent four minutes looking for a regularity in the construction of rows and entered the missing numbers. Then, I repeated this experiment with the same students, but now they performed this task while chewing chewing gum intensively.

Attention check.

Objective: definition of attention span.

Equipment: prepared table, stopwatch, pencil.

To test the attention span of a person, I gave four volunteers sheets of paper with a set of numbers (from 101 to 136) (Appendix 4). The subject had to find the numbers on the table in ascending order and cross out each of them with a pencil. Each of the subjects coped with the task individually.

To study the effect of chewing gum on attention span, I distributed chewing gum to the same subjects and asked them to repeat the work done, but with intensive chewing.

Short term memory.

Objective: determine the amount of short-term memory.

Equipment: 25 word text, clock, blank paper, pencil.

To test a person's short-term memory, I gave four test subjects sheets containing a text of 25 words (Appendix 5). And gave them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with it within 1 minute. Then, each of the students for 4 minutes reproduced on a blank sheet the words he remembered.

Later, the same process was repeated by us, except that the subjects chewed chewing gum.

Research results.

Questionnaire "Why do we chew?".

When conducting a survey (Appendix 6) among students in grades 6-10, it was found that most students use chewing gum to refresh their mouths, and for some it is caused by habit (Fig. 1). Preference is given to chewing gum "Orbit". For communication, “non-chewing” interlocutors are chosen.

Figure 1 "Using chewing gum"

Among the respondents, many have information about the impact of chewing gum on the human body, but they chew much longer than the prescribed time (Fig. 2).

Figure 2 "The impact of chewing gum on the human body"

Gastrointestinal sufferers are unaware that chewing gum may be the cause (Figure 3).

Figure 3 "Chewing gum and gastrointestinal diseases"

Despite everything, 100% of respondents prefer to use toothpaste to clean their mouths (Figure 4), 72% of students believe that memory worsens when chewing (Figure 5).

Figure 4 "Mouth cleanser"

Figure 5 "Effect of chewing gum on memory"

Assessment of logical thinking.

After evaluating the logical thinking of the subjects who did not chew chewing gum and comparing the results obtained with the conclusion made after the experiment with it (chewing gum), it should be noted that the logical thinking of the subjects worsened by more than 20%, from 75% to 55%. (Figure 6).

Figure 6 "Logical thinking"

Attention score.

Using the formula for calculating attention span:

B=648: t,

whereB- amount of attention

t- running time in seconds,

I compared the data obtained before and after chewing gum with the norms of indicators and found that the attention span of the subjects, as well as logical thinking, decreased at a noticeable level (in 81% of those who did not chew, the attention span was slightly above average, and in 19% of chewing the indicator fell below the average “bar” (Fig. 7).

Figure 7 "Estimating attention span"

3 . Estimating the amount of memory.

Using the table for determining the amount of memory, I identified the category of memory of the subjects by the sum of the points (each reproduced word is estimated at one point). The results were not surprising: the initial amount of memory in most of the subjects (94%) belongs to the “good” category. With intensive chewing, memory deteriorated sharply by 50% (Fig. 8).

Figure 8 "Estimating the amount of memory"

Research findings.

After analyzing the results of the research work, I came to an undeniable conclusion:

The use of chewing gum among students of our school is due to the elimination of unpleasant odors and obtaining a pleasant taste sensation.

Some components of chewing gum can have a negative effect on the human body.

Chewing gum adversely affects human thought processes. In particular, this is due to the fact that it prevents people from concentrating when solving mental problems.

List of used sources.

Engeldfrind Yu., Mulhall D., Pleteneva T.V. How to protect yourself from hazardous substances in everyday life. - M., Moscow State University, 1994.

Maymulov V.G., Artamonova V.G., Dadali V.A. etc. Medico-ecological monitoring. - St. Petersburg, 1993.

Knorre D.G., Myzina S.D. "Biological Chemistry". - M., "Higher School", 2002.

Journal "Biology" No. 19, 2008

Internet resources.

ATTACHMENT 1.

Side effect of chewing gum.

APPENDIX 2

chewing gum should be used by both children and adults;

it is better to use chewing gum that does not contain sugar;

Adults:

Before eating, you can chew no more than 5 minutes. The salivary glands instantly react to the presence of "chewing gum" in the mouth and secrete digestive enzymes. The brain receives a signal: "prepare for a meal," and the stomach begins to produce juice. But there is no food, and the acid corrodes the mucous. 5 minutes is the approximate time it takes for a signal to travel from the brain to the stomach.

After lunch or snacks during the day, you can chew gum for no more than 15 minutes. This is usually enough to prevent the formation of soft plaque and restore the acid balance.

Children:

You can use it from about 4 years old and only white (no dyes). The child needs to be explained the hygienic purpose of chewing gum and taught to throw it away immediately after it has ceased to be tasty.

Give "gum" only after lunch and afternoon snack and no more than 15 minutes - otherwise the habit of chewing will be fixed. Today's constantly chewing teenagers are potential clients of dental clinics. Not fully formed enamel of "young" teeth is too thin and easily erased.

Do not give chewing gum before meals: the child may lose his appetite and the stomach may deteriorate.

Explain that chewing gum should never be swallowed. It can get stuck in the gastrointestinal tract. There are cases when "chewing gum" became the cause of gastric lavage in stationary conditions.

It must be remembered thatuncontrolled and indiscriminate use of chewing gum many times during the day can be harmful to your health!

APPENDIX 3

Assessment of logical thinking .

Number rows:

1) 24, 21,19, 18,15, 13, 7;

2) 1,4, 9, 16, 49, 64, 81, 100;

3) 16,17,15,18,14,19, ;

4) 1,3,6,8, 16, 18, 76,78;

5) 7,16,9,5,21,16,9,4;

6) 2,4,8,10,20,22,92,94;

7)24,22,19,15, ;

8) 19 (30) 11; 23 () 27;

APPENDIX 4

Determining the scope of attention

ATTENTION SCOPE TABLE

APPENDIX 5

Determining the amount of short-term memory.

WORDS FOR TEXT:

Hay, key, plane, train, picture, month, singer, radio, grass, pass, car, heart, bouquet, pavement, century, film, aroma, mountains, ocean, stillness, calendar, man, woman, abstraction, helicopter.

APPENDIX 6

Questionnaire "Why do we chew?"

What is the purpose of chewing gum?

How often do you chew?

How long do you chew?

What chewing gum do you prefer?

Do you know anything about the effects of chewing gum on the human body?

What do you think is the best way to cleanse your mouth?

Do you enjoy talking to a chewing person?

Do you think memory worsens or improves when chewing?

Have you experienced health problems due to chewing gum?

Do you suffer from gastrointestinal diseases?

During the year, the population of the globe chews about 2 thousand freight cars of gum, and this is at least 100 thousand tons. Who came up with this delicacy, how many calories a piece of rubber burns, how to escape tears with chewing gum, and what is the largest bubble that was inflated from a fragrant plastic mass - in the selection of the site.

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Songs are sung about chewing gum and documentaries are made. It seems that this delicacy familiar to each of us has always existed. Not always, of course, but for a long time. The prototypes of modern chewing gum can be considered the resin of trees and beeswax - they were chewed to clean the teeth and freshen the breath. Archaeologists have discovered pieces of prehistoric resin with imprints of teeth, which are about 9,000 years old.

Today you can buy a wide variety of chewing gum both in terms of flavor combinations (for example, with the taste of wasabi, bacon or foie gras), and in terms of functional qualities (energy, soothing, anti-nicotine, etc.).

Story

Mass production of chewing gum was started by John Curtis in 1848. He evaporated the resin in a cauldron, after which he added various flavors to it. Such chewing gum did not have an attractive appearance, it even sometimes came across pine needles, which, of course, affected the demand.

In the late 60s of the XIX century, the inventor Thomas Adams, considering the mistakes of his predecessor, decided to produce chewing gum based on rubber, and not pine resin. Such chewing gum did not contain flavoring additives, but sold well.

John Curtis

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Thomas Adams

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William Wrigley, a soap maker, noticed that Americans were increasingly buying his product to get chewing gum, which was offered to customers as a nice bonus. He did not lose his head and in 1891 opened a chewing gum business. In this case, he quickly managed to oust Adams' enterprise. This is how the world-famous chewing gum Wrigley's Spearmint with the addition of peppermint and fruit - Juicy Fruit appeared. In 1914, another type of chewing gum of this brand appeared - Doublemint.

It is interesting to note that mint gum became especially popular in America in the 1920s. During Prohibition, lovers of skipping on a small one actively used it to mask the smell of alcohol.

William Wrigley

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Walter Diemer

Photo wikipedia.org

Everyone remembers the famous saying of the cat from the cartoon about the parrot Kesha? "It's bubble gum!" exclaimed the red-haired lover of the imported delicacy. So for chewing gum, from which you can easily and simply blow bubbles, we can all thank Walter Diemer, who, oddly enough, is an accountant by profession. In 1928, he came up with a bubble gum - a kind of chewing delicacy, from which bubbles were easily inflated (before it was impossible to inflate them due to the inelasticity of the mass). The recipe for the perfect gum turned out to be 20% rubber, 60% sugar, 19% corn syrup, and 1% flavoring. This invention made chewing gum very popular among children, for whom bubbles have become a new pastime. According to this recipe, chewing gum is made today.

Unusual places

There is a wall in Seattle that is plastered with chewing gum in several layers, their thickness is up to ten centimeters. Any passer-by can stick chewing gum on this fancy surface. The wall has long been a tourist hotspot, although it regularly makes the list of the most unhygienic and disgusting sights. There have been repeated attempts to clear the wall of all these chewing gums, but people keep sticking them on. Some try not just to stick their chewing gum, but to create some kind of pattern. There are even those who tried to confess their love in this way! So, if you are planning to visit Seattle, you can also put your hand to such a large-scale creation.

Records

Englishman Gary Duchl wove a chain of chewing gum wrappers 27,250 meters long. You can go crazy!!! With his man-made creation, he landed in the Guinness Book of Records. By the way, it took him a long time - about 50 years.

Susan Montgomery, a resident of the USA, inflated an impressive bubble of gum with a diameter of 58.5 cm. This is an official record, also listed in the Guinness Book of Records. And Chad Fell, also an American, managed to inflate a 50.8 cm bubble without using his hands! Of course, this result is also in the list of records.

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Hobbies and hobbies

In the early 1930s, inserts first appeared in chewing gum packages. The color pictures depicted baseball players and comic book characters. There is nothing surprising in the fact that the liners almost immediately became a collector's item. Some manufacturers offered to collect a collection of a certain number of pieces and receive a gift for this. Today, collectors are willing to pay a lot of money for especially rare specimens.

Hollywood director David Lynch probably considers collecting liners to be primitive and uninteresting, so he collects used chewing gum. What for? Good question! Because, according to him, it resembles the human brain. Weird? More than!

But the Italian designer Maurizio Savini is known for creating sculptures from chewing gum. Unusual works of pink color, made in full size, glorified the sculptor throughout Europe. This is truly art!

Prohibitions

You can't chew gum in Singapore. The ban was introduced because used chewing gum was thrown and stuck everywhere, which made the city look untidy. Those who disobey face severe fines. This also applies to tourists who bring more than two packs of gum with them (everything extra will be considered smuggling). But you can still get chewing gum in Singapore ... in a pharmacy. And provided that you have a prescription from a doctor with you.

life hacks

Chewing gum while chopping onions keeps you from crying.

If you don't want your ears stuffed up on the plane, chew gum during takeoff.

Need to remove chewing gum from clothes? No problem! Send the thing to the freezer and keep it there until the chewing gum hardens. After that, it can be easily removed.

Fruit chewing gum can help fight heartburn.

If you are sick in a car, chew gum and the nausea will go away.

Let's chew

With the help of chewing gum in 1911, it was possible to avoid a plane crash by sealing the damage in the fuselage with it.

During the year, the world's population chews about 100,000 tons of gum.

Chewing gum burns 11 calories per hour.

If you accidentally swallow gum, nothing terrible will happen: it will not get stuck in the intestines, but will calmly pass through the digestive tract.