Chew Yourself a Better Brain
by Admin
Posted on 11-11-2022 02:18 PM
Would you believe that while standing in line to pay for your groceries, you are but an arm's length away from a potent neurochemical catalyst that costs less than a single pill of any antidepressant?
yes, gum -- wonderful, flavorful, get-your-jaws-moving gum -- is an unlikely object of cognitive science research that turns out to possess qualities mr. Wrigley would never have guessed.
Gum has been studied for its beneficial effects on memory, alertness, anxiety reduction, appetite suppression, mood and learning. Attributes of gum that have gone under the microscope include its flavor, texture and density, to name a few. The hunch that spawned gum studies was that chewing gum might increase blood flow to the brain, and that may in turn spark other important effects.
Evidence suggests that chewing effectively sends various types of information to the brain. Chewing activates several brain regions that are essential for cognitive processing, including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. https://www.facebook.com/HowDoICook https://www.facebook.com/HowDoICook
How Mastication (Chewing) Improves Brain Function
Who would have thought that the action of chewing food had a role other than to start the digestion process! increasing research studies have found that mastication (technical term for the the action of chewing food) has a major impact on many aspects of our health. Chewing and brain function effects have been found in connection to learning, memory, focus and concentration. Raw fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds and meat all demand more chewing. Many processed foods and cooked foods are softer and easier to chew through. One of my pet hates when it comes to commercial food products are those ridiculous pouches of soft pureed fruit that kids consume direct from a tube, instead of chewing through an apple or orange! now we know that this will have a negative impact on their brain, memory and learning.
Photo: susan e. Viera/shutterstock. Com when you were growing up, you might have heard your parents say again and again to chew your food. Their purpose was likely to reduce the chance of your choking, since chewing is the first step in the digestive process. Chewing, with the assistance of enzymes in the saliva, starts to break down the food into smaller bits that can be swallowed and better processed and absorbed by the body. That is typically all people really think about when they consider chewing. However, that is not all chewing does—it also plays a role in cognitive health. Mastication and the hippocampus mastication, the technical word for chewing, impacts the function of the hippocampus, the center regulator in the brain that plays a role in memory and learning.
Can gum chewing help brain function? electroencephalographic brain studies have found that mastication, or chewing, stimulates arousal, helps maintain concentration, and improves working memory and the brain’s processing speed. The process of chewing was found to stimulate and increase blood flow to not only the oral tissue but also to the brain. The circuits for mastication are located in the lower brain stem alongside those for breathing, walking and blood circulation. Studies found that elderly individuals with good mastication tended to have better cognitive abilities and higher activity levels than those with compromised chewing ability. Therefore, tooth loss not only compromises mastication but may be a risk factor for dementia.