Sugarfree Gum Question

[relyt]

Trident's sugarfree gum says that one stick of gum has one carb. The one carb is from one gram of sugar alcohol. Now if i chew a stick or 2 nothing happens to my blood sugar. But if i am going to fly on a plane soon and i chew 1/2 to a full pack of gum which is like 18 carbs total will i see a spike in my blood sugars or will i not because the carbs are from sugar alcohols. Also can your body absorb carbs from gum if you dont swallow the gum. :confused:

:confused:
:driver:
:dontknow:

[lorilei]

that's an interesting question...yes...if you chew several sticks of gum i guess each one counts...but if it is over an extended period of time and you are checking your BG regularly and make any adjustments as you snack, or eat ameal, then you will likely come across the number hidden, and make adjustments without necessarily realizing that you are covering for those carbs too...if you chew 18 sticks at once...then you will likely notice a more significant BG rise and have to accomodate as you would any other carb...


if you chew gum (till most of the flavor is gone like i do)and don't swallow it i am fairly sure the carbs count anyway as carbs begin breakdown and absorption in the mouth...

but i will gladly stand corrected..

[poodlebone]

I chew Trident gum all the time but usually only two sticks at a time, several times a day. I see no effect but I've never attempted the whole pack in a short period of time! I think all of the carbs are in the flavoring/sweetness and not the actual gum base itself. If you chew it until the flavor is all gone then you've ingested the carbs.

I would be more concerned about ingesting 18 grams of sugar alcohols in a short period of time and the resulting gastric distress! My 10 year old niece is hyper and puts everything in her mouth. She is the only child in her school who is actually permitted to chew gum in class. My sister was buying her Trident and other SF gums and she would chew gum constantly all day. Only after she kept constantly complaining about her stomach did my sister realize it was the sugar alcohols in the gum, but my niece had been consuming large quantities on a daily basis, and she's also a little kid. A one time gum binge may or may not have any effects.

[Mothernature]

I can chew 10 pieces (20 carbs) of Wrigleys gum and it has nil affect on my blood sugar. I also had my first experience with sugar alcohol yesterday. Nil affect again except for the diarrhea :(.

It really depends on you. I count the carbs as a part of my daily carbs..