What are other benefits of chewing gum?
People often claim that gum chewing has a stress-reducing effect. A limited amount of research indicates that many gum chewers do experience calming, relaxed and satisfied feelings while chewing gum. There also is growing evidence that gum chewing can enhance brain function. Some studies have reported improved memory, increased ability to maintain attention, and enhanced learning ability. Exactly how gum chewing enhances brain function is not fully understood. But it is known that blood flow to the brain increases by as much as 25 percent to 40 percent during gum chewing and brain scans show increased neural activity in parts of the brain involved with complex information processing. The U.S. Army has taken these brain-boosting effects of chewing gum to another level by adding caffeine. One piece of their “Stay Alert” gum provides 100 milligrams of caffeine, the amount in a typical 6-ounce cup of coffee. Chewing gum also burns a few calories. The jaw muscles expend about 10 calories pe
People often claim that gum chewing has a stress-reducing effect. A limited amount of research indicates that many gum chewers do experience calming, relaxed and satisfied feelings while chewing gum. There also is growing evidence that gum chewing can enhance brain function. Some studies have reported improved memory, increased ability to maintain attention, and enhanced learning ability. Exactly how gum chewing enhances brain function is not fully understood. But it is known that blood flow to the brain increases by as much as 25 percent to 40 percent during gum chewing and brain scans show increased neural activity in parts of the brain involved with complex information processing. The U.S. Army has taken these brain-boosting effects of chewing gum to another level by adding caffeine. One piece of their “Stay Alert” gum provides 100 milligrams of caffeine, the amount in a typical 6-ounce cup of coffee. Chewing gum also burns a few calories. The jaw muscles expend about 10 calories pe
