Does chewing gum reduce stress?

Chewing gum  banishes anxieties, increases alertness and reduces stress, according to a study made by Swiburne University in Australia.

Australian researchers have examined to what extent chewing gum may reduce stress induced and anxiety, while participants in the study were conducting a series of activities. Thus, use of chewing gum was associated with higher alertness, reduced anxiety and stress and improved performance in delivery of several activities at once.

The study was done on 40 people, with an average age of 22 years, which made various tests on a multi-tasking platform. The platform was designed to induce stress and, at the same time, assess performance of subjects while they have chewed gum or not. Levels of anxiety, attention and stress were measured before and after participants performed the tests.According to the results, level of anxiety was reduced by 17% in those who were chewing gum than the rest of the subjects. Also, the focus was 19 times higher in those who were chewing, while salivary cortisol levels - an indicator of this stress - was 16 percent lower in those who chewed gum during the test.