If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, you can increase your fitness gains.
That’s the conclusion of fascinating new study. It shows that the jaw motion of gum chewing causes a physical response in walkers that leads to a higher heart rate and a greater calorie burn.1
Researchers at Waseda University in Tokyo performed a simple experiment on 46 men and woman. The subjects ranged in age from 21 to 69. The participants took part in two exercise tests.
In the first, the subjects drank an ounce of water. Then they were given two pieces of gum to chew while they walked 15 minutes at their normal pace. The gum contained 3 calories.
In the second test, the control trial, the subjects drank water mixed with a powder that contained 3 calories. But they were not given gum. Then they went on the 15-minute walk.
In both tests, the subjects walked on the same indoor track. The researchers monitored their heart rate before, during, and after they exercised. The scientists also measured the distance each participant walked and calculated the calories they burned.
The researchers compared each person’s data from the walking session in which they chewed gum to the one in which they didn’t.
They found that the heart rate of all participants was “significantly higher” during the walks while chewing gum. They also walked faster and burned more calories.2
The effect was most pronounced in men over 40.
The researchers concluded: “Combining exercise and gum chewing may be an effective way to manage weight.”3
The study recently was published in The Journal of Physical Therapy Science.
Getting in Rhythm Burns Calories
The researchers don’t know the exact reason for gum chewing’s physical effects on walkers. But they have a theory…
The jaw movement of chewing burns some additional calories. But scientists believe it’s negligible and not enough to account for the effects found in the study.
Researchers believe gum chewing causes something called “cardiac-locomotor synchronization” (CLS).
CLS is the synchronization between your heart beat and a body movement.
When people chew gum, they do so at a steady pace. They get into a rhythm. Researchers believe this makes your whole body fall into a rhythmic pattern that makes walking easier. So you walk faster, your heart beats faster, and you burn more calories.
When the people were not chewing gum, researchers found that this whole-body rhythm was not occurring.4
The bottom line?… Try chewing gum during your next walk. It might help you burn more calories.
And make sure you choose a gum that is naturally flavored and sweetened. Commercial chewing gums often contain chemical dyes and sweeteners like aspartame or saccharine. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, and depression.5
We recommend a brand called Simply Gum. It’s made from all-natural, organic ingredients.
Editor’s Note: Discover the secret “switch” that tells your body to burn fat instead of store it… Find out how to unlock your fat-burning potential HERE.
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References:
1 https://www.yahoo.com/news/walk-chew-gum-may-keep-thin-study-222852611.html
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5909016/
3 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5771935/Chewing-gum-walking-increases-heart-rate-burns-extra-calories-study-finds.html
4 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5771935/Chewing-gum-walking-increases-heart-rate-burns-extra-calories-study-finds.html
5 https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2013/12/dont-let-them-fool-you-this-stuff-is-total-poison/