Dobson believes there may be less fat on the surface of the mouth because chewing gum reduces the amount of saliva needed to dissolve food. Although the amount of fat is decreased, the amount of lipase does not decrease. “When people chew, they don’t get all the nutrients like they would if they didn’t chew,” Dobson says.
Dobson has also observed that people who live more centrally in South Central are less likely to have a higher body mass index. This may be because this part of the city tends to have more access to fast food and higher food prices, and that this lifestyle leads more people to have lower BMIs, though it may also be because people in this area work fewer hard hours.
What about children?
“The number who get fat has decreased dramatically. In fact, when children started to chew their way through school, they all had BMIs lower than the national average. I don’t know if that’s because of the low cost of candy or chewing gum, but it is what it is—they were eating a lot of junk. Even though that makes them fat, it also makes them metabolically healthy.”
So what about people who can’t chew gum? “They’ll get fat, yes,” Dobson admits, “but they’ll also be metabolically healthy and live longer and have lower rates of all types of disease.”
For a week after a gunman opened fire inside a Jewish community center in Kansas, my thoughts and prayers were tied into one place. My prayers were for the victims and their families who lost loved ones.
It is a moment I will never forget. My thoughts and prayers were with the children. I prayed for the people hurt in the shooting and the children still inside the building. To those who didn’t come to prayers on Sunday morning. Let them know that you are not alone with your grief — you are not alone with what happened there — you deserve respect.
You deserve the best. You deserve your right to live, learn, play, laugh, smile and pray the same way any of us do — through a safe faith and a strong family.
What I witnessed is the most painful and awful scene I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget the sound of that blood-curdling scream. When I finally saw that blood-curdling scream again, my soul was filled with compassion.
I have to say, too, I felt sick that I didn’t see the shooter