Chewing Gum as a Diet Strategy

Posted by Mindy on April 21st, 2009 at 08:29am

A new study funded by chewing gum manufacturer Wrigley suggests that its sugar-free gum might reduce calorie intake in some people. The study had 115 men and women participate in two sessions. In each session, they had a sandwich and then stayed for three hours to participate in surveys about hunger and energy levels. Each participant chewed Extra sugar-free gum for 15 minutes every hour for the three hours in one of the two sessions. The results show that those participants who were chewing gum reported decreased hunger and cravings for something sweet. At the end of the three-hour period, participants were offered snacks. The gum chewers consumed fewer calories than those who did not chew any gum.

The study was not large enough to convince experts that chewing gum is a healthy diet strategy. Doctors also warn that chewing too much sugar-free gum, like Extra, can have potential side effects due to the sweetener Sorbitol.

Tags: Diet Studies, gum, weight loss

Under Diet Studies+ Health Tags: Diet Studies, gum, weight loss