Influence of sweetened chewing gum on appetite, meal patterning and energy intake

The concurrent increases of snacking and obesity suggest the possibility for some form of inter-meal oral stimulation with high satiety value to moderate rising obesity rates. This study explored the influence of sweetened chewing gum on appetitive ratings, meal patterning and food intake. Three test conditions were imposed after a fixed lunch preload: no gum chewing, gum chewing 2 h after lunch and gum chewing when hungry. Forty-seven participants, 29 males and 18 females, completed each treatment, one day a week for three weeks. Participants were fed lunch in a laboratory setting, and after being instructed on that day's test procedures, they were allowed to leave the laboratory. Throughout the remainder of the day, appetitive, mood and intake data were self-reported. The results indicate appetite ratings, meal patterning and food intake do not differ among the three treatment conditions. While these results did not support an effect of brief chewing of a sweetened gum, further exploration of variations of the sensory properties of gum and exposure patterns may still prove worthwhile.