Study finds that chewing gum while walking affects both physical and physiological functions, especially in middle-aged and elderly men

While all ages experienced a significantly larger change in heart rate in the gum trial, middle-aged and elderly participants also had a significantly higher mean heart rate while walking compared to the control.

Combining these analyses to incorporate both sex and age showed that chewing gum had the greatest effect in middle-aged and elderly men who experienced a significant positive effect on distance walked, mean walking speed, mean step counts, mean heart rate while walking, change in heart rate, and total energy expenditure compared to the control trial.

The authors conclude: “Chewing gum while walking affects a number of physical and physiological functions in men and women of all ages. Our study also indicates that gum chewing while walking increased the walking distance and energy expenditure of middle-aged and elderly male participants in particular.”