Effects of sugarless chewing gum as a stimulant on progesterone, cortisol, and testosterone concentrations assessed in saliva

Sugarless chewing gum is a frequently used stimulant to collect saliva samples for hormone analyses. This study tested the effect of sugarless chewing gum on cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone concentrations measured in saliva samples collected from 8 individuals at different times of the day (morning, evening) and under different collection conditions (gum, no gum) as well as in a saliva pool and water, either untreated or treated with chewing gum. Sugarless chewing gum raised all progesterone concentrations by 20 to 40 pg/mL, corresponding to a twofold increase, relative to no-gum controls and attenuated salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations. It is recommended that the use of sugarless chewing gum as a stimulant should be avoided with saliva samples.

► Sugarless chewing gum increases salivary progesterone measurements twofold.
► Chewing gum also affects salivary cortisol and testosterone levels.
► Passive drooling is the recommended method of saliva collection.