Can Chewing Gum Help You Lose Weight?

A recent study by the University of Rhode Island found that chewing sugar-free gum may help you lose weight by helping to reduce the number of calories you eat. Plus, it can give you more energy.

For the study, Kathleen Melanson, a professor of nutrition and food sciences, compared gum chewing to non-gum chewing in 35 adults. During the first of two sessions, the participants chewed gum for 20 minutes before they drank a breakfast shake, then chewed gum two more times for 20 minutes each during the three hours before lunch.

During each visit, researchers measured the resting metabolism rates levels of the participants both before and after breakfast and lunch. The participants also kept a log of their feelings of hunger, energy level, and other factors. The professors found that those who chewed gum before and after eating burned about 5 percent more energy than when they did not chew gum.

The study also showed that those who chewed gum for a total of one hour before lunch ate 67 fewer calories at lunch than those who did not chew gum.

Melanson noted that a possible reason chewing gum might help with weight loss is that when people chew, the nerves in the muscles of the jaw are stimulated and send signals to the appetite area of the brain that is associated with satiety.

So, if you’re trying to lose weight, keep gum handy!