🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <114000002@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> warg6606@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>	I had a friend in college who suffered from gastric ulcers because
>he chewed tobaco.  His physician told him that because he "chewed," he was
>spitting too much.  The good doctor's point was that the saliva was required
>to help neutralize the gastric juices secreted during the chewing.  This
>of course implies that the saliva is alkaline.

I find this difficult to swallow.  Although saliva many have some buffering
capacity, I seriously doubt it is alkaline enough to offset stomach acidity.

More likely, the sensation of having some tasty chew in one's mouth increases
gastric secretion, possibly resulting in a gastric ulcer.  Of course,
the nicotine in chewing tobacco also induces increased secretions of various
sorts as a pharmacological property of the chemical itself.  Put these 
together and you have a lot better senario for an ulcer than simply
spitting too much!

FYI: I enjoy a good chew so no flames from people thinking I object to the 
sport!

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Eric E. Snyder                            
Department of Biochemistry              Proctoscopy recapitulates   
University of Colorado, Boulder         hagiography.            
Boulder, Colorado 80309                  
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