Extra Gum - Peppermint — DUMP
Munch or Dump rates Extra Gum - Peppermint by Extra DUMP — score 20/90.
Sugar-free gum built on a stack of sugar alcohols, two artificial sweeteners, artificial color, and BHA. It's a lab formula you chew and spit out, not food.
Why this verdict
- Five different sweeteners stacked: three sugar alcohols plus aspartame and acesulfame K
- Contains BHA, a synthetic antioxidant flagged as a possible concern
- Artificial color E171 (titanium dioxide) plus glazing waxes
- Sugar alcohols can cause bloating, gas and a laxative effect (the pack warns of it)
- Fully engineered NOVA 4 formula, not a real food
Ingredients (13)
- sorbitol (moderate) — Sugar alcohol sweetener; poorly absorbed, causes bloating, gas and laxative effects in the amounts used in syrup.
- maltitol (moderate) — Sugar alcohol that raises blood sugar more than other polyols and frequently causes gas and cramping.
- mannitol (moderate) — Another sugar alcohol; notorious for its laxative effect.
- aspartame (moderate) — Intense artificial sweetener; carries a PKU/phenylalanine warning, classified by IARC as possibly carcinogenic.
- Acesulfame K (concerning) — Artificial sweetener, ~200x sweeter than sugar; keeps the sweet-craving loop going.
- Gum base (contains soybean lecithin) (moderate) — Synthetic chewable matrix; not digestible, contains soy lecithin emulsifier.
- Calcium carbonate (glazing agent) (safe) — Mineral filler and glazing agent; inert.
- Glycerol (Humectant) (safe) — Keeps the gum moist; benign in this amount.
- Gum arabic (thickener) (safe) — Plant-derived thickener; generally well tolerated.
- Flavourings (moderate) — Unspecified flavour compounds; benign but add nothing nutritionally.
- Colour E171 (titanium dioxide) (concerning) — Artificial whitening color banned as a food additive in the EU over genotoxicity concerns.
- Carnauba wax (glazing agent) (safe) — Plant wax used for coating; inert.
- BHA (antioxidant) (concerning) — Synthetic preservative listed as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.