Do you chew gum? I never used to, but lately I’ve been chewing sugarless gum more often because my dentist told me it’s a good way to ward off dental decay. Now a new study from the University of Rhode Island (URI) shows that keeping chompers pearly white and cavity-free isn’t the only reason to pop a stick in your mouth. Turns out that gum’s an effective appetite suppressant, too.
Some dietitians have been saying this for ages without research to back it up. But the URI study offered definitive proof, showing that people who chewed gum for a total of one hour in the morning consumed 67 calories at lunch, and didn’t compensate for that calorie deficit for eating more later in the day. Study author Kathleen Melanson believes the hunger-inhibiting effect occurs because gum chewing stimulates nerve muscles in the jaw that influence the appetite section of the brain.
Now, lest you poo-poo 67 calories, that equals 24,455 calories over the course of the year–which translates into a seven pound weight loss (it takes a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose a pound). Not bad for an activity that requires almost zero effort.
–Camille
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Camille