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The Boundless Ambition of Gum

Could Chewing gum save your life? There's little we're told it can't do these days.

Chewing gum seems to be on a mission to reinvent itself. There鈥檚 little we鈥檙e told it can鈥檛 do these days - prevent tooth decay, cure hangovers, even improve our vision.

As sales of gum flat line, we explore it's ability to take on new guises, and meet people who even believe it can be used to detect cancer and help end malnutrition. Could chewing gum save your life?

An expert on food regulation explains why the majority of gums with health claims are rejected, and presenter Emily Thomas meets a man who tried to solve one of gum鈥檚 stickiest and costliest problems.

Plus we'll ask whether we should we stop working so hard to find a purpose for this food we can't swallow, and find other, more environmentally-friendly solutions?

(Photo: Girl with chewing gum. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 Nov 2017 08:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 9 Nov 2017 00:32GMT
  • Thu 9 Nov 2017 03:32GMT
  • Thu 9 Nov 2017 04:32GMT
  • Thu 9 Nov 2017 05:32GMT
  • Thu 9 Nov 2017 11:32GMT
  • Thu 9 Nov 2017 21:32GMT
  • Thu 9 Nov 2017 23:32GMT
  • Sun 12 Nov 2017 08:32GMT

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