Chewing and cognitive performance: what we know

In recent years, chewing has been discussed as producing effects of maintaining and sustaining cognitive performance. It is reported that mastication improves cognitive function by activating cerebral cortical activity, and it is important to demonstrate the cognitive effects of masticatory training using various interventions. Recent studies emphasized that chewing gum can attenuate reductions in alertness, suggesting that chewing gum enhances worker performance. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for the facilitation in performance observed when the gum is chewed during cognitive testing. Chewing gum during exposure to stress decreases plasma and salivary cortisol levels and reduces mental stress, although other studies report no such effect. In addition, chewing reduces stress-induced changes in central nervous system morphology, especially in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. However, further research on the alerting effects of chewing gum and possible improved test performance in these situations is needed.