Walking, gum-chewing may keep one thin — study
PARIS (AFP) — Still looking for the secret to effortless weight loss? It may be as simple as chewing gum while walking, Japanese researchers suggested yesterday.
In experiments, they said, the heart rate of 46 people, aged 21 to 69, increased when they were given gum to chew while walking at a natural pace.
While masticating caused a measurable physical difference in participants of both genders and across all age groups, it was most pronounced in men over 40, the team reported at the European Congress on Obesity in Vienna.
“Combining exercise and gum chewing may be an effective way to manage weight,” the researchers said – particularly in countries such as Japan where walking is the “most widely performed movement.”
The study, published in The Journal of Physical Therapy Science, was the first dedicated to examining its effects in people while walking, its authors said.
Volunteers completed two walking trials, each lasting 15 minutes.
In one, they chewed two pellets of gum that contained three kilocalories. In the other, for comparison, they walked after ingesting a powder containing the same ingredients as the gum.
The team then measured participants’ resting heart rate and walking heart rate in both legs as well as the distance they covered at a natural pace, walking speed and the number of steps taken.
In all participants, the mean heart rate was “significantly higher” in the gum trial, according to the researchers.
In men over 40, it also boosted the distance walked, number of steps taken and energy expended.
Though the study was not designed to explain the link, the team speculated it may have something to do with “cardiolocomotor synchronization,” a natural phenomenon whereby the heart beats in rhythm with a repetitive movement.
Obesity has become a global scourge. It increases a person’s risk of developing heart disease and stroke, diabetes and certain cancers.
“Effective preventive methods and treatments for obesity are needed,” the researchers said.