Yes, losing weight is a matter of counting calories. But there are ways to make it easier to eat fewer calories. One of them is chewing gum.

SHAM FEEDING

In principle, your body makes you hungry when you haven’t eaten enough. However, other signals also influence that feeling of hunger. “Sham feeding”, for example, as a result of chewing. Chewing stimulates satiety signals, even if you don’t actually eat what you chew.

RESEARCH

A recent meta-analysis of nine studies concluded that “chewing gum affects parameters of appetite regulation, leading in particular to a significant decrease in hunger, urge to eat, and the desire for a sweet snack.”

Chewing gum is certainly not a miracle cure, but consuming it can make a small contribution to sticking to your diet. However, more research is needed to support this conclusion, the researchers say.

BURN CALORIES

And what about the calories you burn by chewing? They’re not that many. A quick calculation tells us we burn 11 calories per hour chewing gum.

But chewing gum isn’t completely calorie-free: sugar-free gum contains 2 to 5 calories per piece, while full-sugar gum contains an additional 5 calories. So, if you consume multiple pieces of gum, you’ll ultimately consume slightly more calories than you burn.

TEETH

Another advantage of chewing gum is that sugar-free varieties protect the teeth, because they stimulate saliva production.

DISADVANTAGES

There are also drawbacks. Sugar-free chewing gum contains sugar alcohols, which can have a laxative effect and contribute to loose stools or diarrhea, especially in people with sensitive bowels. And excessive chewing can lead to swallowing more air, causing gas, belching, and bloating.

So definitely don’t chew too much gum.