Chewing gum helps weight loss, research findsBOSTON (AP) -- Could the chewing gum diet be next? Theres evidence it really works. A team of researchers calculated that chewing gum burns up about 11 calories an hour. That may not sound like much, but the researchers figured that someone who chews gum every waking hour for a year and does nothing else differently will lose about 11 pounds. The calculations, made by James Levine of the Mayo Clinic and others, were published in Thursdays New England Journal of Medicine. They experimented on seven volunteers who chewed sugar-free gum for 12 minutes while wearing face masks. A machine measured their energy expenditure by testing their breath before, during and after they chewed. Since this was a scientific experiment, the researchers wanted to make sure all the volunteers chewed with equal vigor. They used a metronome to set the pace. "Chewing of calorie-free gum can be readily carried out throughout the day," the researchers noted, "and its potential effect on energy balance should not be discounted."

☞ 네이버 뉴스스탠드에서 식품저널 foodnews를 만나세요. 구독하기 클릭

저작권자 © 식품저널 foodnews 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지