Chewing Gum Helps Fight Snacking, Study Says

People who chew sugar-free gum are less likely to crave sweet snacks after lunch and have smaller snacks when they eat, according to research supported by gum makers.

A news release from Wrigley said that researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Louisiana State University found that gum chewers' average afternoon snack was 40 calories smaller than when they didn't chew gum.

When the gum chewers had sweet snacks, they ate 60 calories less than when they didn't.

The release also said that people who chewed gum reported higher energy levels and said they were less drowsy than when they did not have gum.

The results were based on a look at 115 men and women who regularly chew gum. They were brough to a lab twice and given a sandwich for lunch. Once, they chewed gum for 15 in three straight hours. Another time, they were not given gum.

Researchers then noted what they ate and how much they ate when they were offered snacks.

"Overall, this research demonstrates the potential role chewing gum can play in appetite control, reduction of snack cravings and weight management," Dr. Paula J Geiselman said in a news release.

The research was presented Sunday to the American Society for Nutrition. The work was supported by a grant from the Wrigley Science Institute.