Chewing Gum May Help Reduce Stress According To New Research

Main Category: Anxiety / Stress
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 01 Sep 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Study presented at the 2008 10th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine

WHAT: "An investigation into the effects of gum chewing on mood and cortisol levels during psychological stress," presented at the 2008 10th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, found that chewing gum helped relieve anxiety, improve alertness and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.* The study examined whether chewing gum is capable of reducing induced anxiety and/or acute psychological stress while participants performed a battery of 'multi-tasking' activities. The use of chewing gum was associated with higher alertness, reduced anxiety and stress, and improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.

WHO: Andrew Scholey, Ph.D., professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia led the research study and can discuss the effect of chewing gum on stress relief and focus and concentration.

Gilbert Leveille, Ph.D., executive director, Wrigley Science Institute, will also be available to discuss research on the benefits of chewing gum related to stress relief and alertness and concentration in addition to other areas including weight management and oral health.

WHEN: Study was presented orally on Saturday, August 30 at Rissho University in Tokyo, Japan at the 10th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine.

STUDY BACKGROUND:

In the 40-person study of gum chewers averaging an age of 22 years old, performed on the Defined Intensity Stressor Simulation (DISS), a multi-tasking platform which reliably induces stress and also includes performance measures, while chewing and not chewing gum. Anxiety, alertness and stress levels were measured before and after participants completed the DISS.

• Relieved Anxiety: When chewing gum, participants reported lower levels of anxiety.
  Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in moderate stress.
  
  
• Increased Alertness: Participants experienced greater levels of alertness when they chewed gum.
  Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.
  
  
• Reduced Stress: Stress levels were lower in participants who chewed gum.
  Levels of salivary cortisol (a physiological stress marker) in gum chewers were lower than those of non-gum chewers by 16 percent during mild stress and nearly 12 percent in moderate stress.
  
  
• Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a significant improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities. Both gum-chewers and non-chewers showed improvement from their baseline scores; however, chewing gum improved mean performance scores over non-gum chewers by 67 percent during moderate stress and 109 percent in mild stress.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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WRIGLEY SCIENCE INSTITUTE:

Wrigley is committed to advancing and sharing scientific research that explores the benefits of chewing gum. The Chicago-based Wrigley Science Institute works with independent researchers at leading institutions to learn more about the potential health and wellness benefits of chewing gum. The Wrigley Science Institute's current work is focused on four key scientific areas: how gum can help reduce situational stress; help manage weight; help increase focus, alertness and concentration; and improve oral health.

*Scholey, Andrew. An investigation into the effects of gum chewing on mood and cortisol levels during psychological stress. 10th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine. Tokyo, Japan. August 2008.

Source: Denise Young
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company