However, a new scientific study claims that "there is no evidence it can control hunger, and mint-flavoured varieties may even deter people from healthy foods like fruit".
Read the study here...
The nutritionists at one of our favourite partner brands, The Food Doctor, say this:
One of the most popular reasons for chewing gum is to freshen the breath. Chewing stimulates the production of saliva which contains natural substances that kill the bad bacteria which cause bad breath and tooth decay. However, since chewing gum naturally stimulates the digestive process, it follows logic that chewing excessively between meals when the digestive system is empty might not be the best idea.
But what about effects on appetite? Past studies have shown that people who chew gum eat fewer high-calorie snacks and report lower feelings of hunger and cravings for sweeter foods. Yet in these new experiments the researchers found that although people reported feeling less hungry after chewing gum, they were much less likely to choose healthy snack options such as fruit, particularly if they’d been asked to chew a mint flavoured gum. What’s more when participants’ were asked to chew gum and keep a food diary, the researchers discovered that people were more likely to consume extra calories if they ate gum before a meal!
Our bodies are naturally programmed to respond to signals that indicate the arrival of food. Although chewing gum isn’t food, its sweet taste in the mouth initiates a small rise in the level of insulin. Normally this extra insulin helps to direct the incoming sugars into the body’s cells but when you chew on an empty stomach these sugars don’ts arrive and the body has to steal energy from the circulating glucose pool. This causes a drop in blood sugar and rise in appetite!
- To combat these effects it’s best to only chew gum after meal
- Choose a chewing gum that is sweetened with xylitol but free from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame – check out your local health food shop for suitable brands
- Opt for a cinnamon flavoured gum rather than a mint one – cinnamon helps to kill bad bacteria in the mouth, balances blood sugar levels and won’t put you off eating an apple mid morning!
