Warning issued to anyone who chews gum as harmful side effects revealed

It could be time to think twice about your chewing gum consumption as health experts have issued a warning regarding the long-term side effects of gum.

Gum has been around for decades and is chewed by millions everyday, with some consumers believed to go through hundreds of pieces of gum every year.

What many people don't consider is the long list of ingredients used to make up pieces of chewing gum. Yes, even the standard mint flavour.

Each piece is made up of a gum base, sweeteners, softeners, flavourings and colourings, and health experts have grown concerned about the future consequences these ingredients could have on the human body.

Sorbitol, a sugar substitute used in many chewing gums advertised as 'sugar-free', is an ingredient which is on doctors' and dieticians' radar, in addition to food dye, as plenty of US chewing gums contain synthetic dyes.

A number of medics have spoken out (Getty Stock Image)

Red dye 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and titanium dioxide, which is used to make gum look white, can be found in an array of chewing gums.

These have been linked to various health issues, including risk of DNA damage, immunity effects and cancer.

Another red flag regarding gum chewing is the addition of a number of potentially-dangerous preservatives, including butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and citric acid, along with several emulsifiers, like soy lecithin, glycerol esters of rosin, monoglycerides and diglycerides.

Whilst all of these additives work to keep the gum fresh, soft and stable, a study published in 2008 found that sorbitol was contributing to serious gastrointestinal problems.

So much so, that two part-taking patients even found themselves hospitalised in Germany with chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and drastic weight loss.

Doctors at the time told researchers at the British Medical Journal that two patients had consumed between 15-20 sticks of chewing gum per day prior to landing them in hospital.

Prolonged chewing gum use has been linked to serious health woes (Getty Stock Image)

Thankfully, it's worth noting, they both regained normal bowel function following treatment.

On this case, clinical nutritionist Dr Briana Gelfand from Mount Sinai Diabetes Center in New York, told The Mail: "The act of chewing causes your body to anticipate food, prompting the release of digestive enzymes and stomach acid.

"With no actual food or nutrients to digest, the excess acid can irritate the stomach lining and worsen issues like acid reflux."

This frustrating ailment can inflict further long-lasting damage onto the body, ranging from heartburn to inflammation and ulcers, or a condition known as esophagitis.

Acid reflux has also been known to result in Barrett's esophagus - a condition whereby chronic stomach acid exposure causes precancerous tissue amendments in the esophageal lining, and as such, increases the risk of developing esophageal cancer.

According to Healthline, there are some potential benefits to chewing gum. Studies have found it can reduce stress and increase feelings of alertness, while other studies have found it could help with weight loss.

However, it adds that chewing too much sugar-free gum can have a laxative effect, while chewing too much sugar-sweetened gum is bad for your teeth.

It adds that the 'ingredients in chewing gum have been established as safe for human consumption'.