Habitual gum-chewer? You could be helping to reduce your stress levels! Professor Andy Smith, director of the Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology at Cardiff University, explains chewing gum stimulates the prefrontal cortex in the brain. This can lead to: a change in the neurotransmitter serotonin, shown to remove negative mental states; stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), which controls our stress hormones; and stimulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), one branch of which controls resting states, leading to greater relaxation.
Chewing sugar-free gum after a meal also encourages saliva, washing away food particles and helping neutralise plaque acids that can lead to tooth decay, so it’s a win-win!…
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Woman & Home (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2021