Chewing sugarless gum can be a healthy habit. It helps to protect against tooth decay, freshens your breath and may even help you to lose weight. Studies have shown that chewing gum can suppress appetite, decrease food cravings, moderately decrease food intake and burn a few extra calories.
Appetite Suppression
Try chewing gum between meals to help suppress your appetite and decrease cravings. A 2011 study in "Appetite" found that participants who chewed a stick of gum each hour for four hours after lunch reported reduced appetite, reduced desire to eat and increased fullness. Not only did these participants rate themselves as less hungry after lunch, they also reported fewer cravings for sweets. So chewing gum after a meal may help you to decrease cravings and feel more satisfied, lowering the chance you will stray from your healthy eating plan.
Impact on Food Intake
You may eat less when you snack if you chew sugarless gum beforehand, according to a study presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in 2009. When participants chewed three pieces of gum before snacking, they consumed 45 fewer calories than when they did not chew gum. Chewing nine sticks of sugar free gum at five calories a piece would replace the 45 uneaten snack calories. Also consider that this study was financed by a large gum company.
Calories Burned
You burn around 11 calories per hour while chewing gum, according to a 1999 study in "The New England Journal of Medicine." Researchers estimated that chewing gum during waking hours would result in a loss of 11 lbs. per year. But before you go purchase a year's worth of sugarless gum, consider the side effects of excessive gum chewing.
Considerations
Regular sugar free gum intake can cause jaw soreness from chewing and gas from excess air intake and artificial sweeteners. While there may be some benefits to chewing gum for weight loss, it is unlikely to have a huge impact on your efforts. Adding two or three sticks of sugarless gum is unlikely to be harmful to your daily weight loss routine of reducing portion sizes, eating healthy and exercising.
References
- "Appetite"; Effects of Chewing Gum on Short-term Appetite Regulation in Moderately Restrained Eaters; Marion M. Hetherington and Martin F. Regan; 2011
- Science News; To Limit Sweet Indulgences, Chew, Chew, Chew; Janet Raloff; 2009
- "The New England Journal of Medicine"; The Energy Expended in Chewing Gum;James Levine, et al.; 1999
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