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It is the holy grail of weight loss: a remedy as effective as drugs like Ozempic, without any of the dreaded side effects.
And according to TikTok videos shared by experts, such a golden ticket may indeed exist.
Responds to claims that chewing gum leads to the release of the same appetite-suppressing hormone as the drug, top dietitian Abbey Sharp told TikTok followers: ‘Early small studies suggest that, yes, chewing gum can help stimulate GLP-1 in the gut, which is responsible for the appetite reduction seen with drugs like Ozempic.’
Ms Sharp added that another study found satiety levels were “significantly greater” and hunger levels were lower in people who chewed gum for half an hour compared to those who did not.
And while the studies are small, Sharp — who has nearly 800,000 followers on TikTok — says these findings are consistent with other research showing that chewing gum can help curb cravings.
However, she says the difference in perceived hunger between participants who chewed gum and those who didn’t only reached a height of 20 percent.
“So this study doesn’t suggest that chewing gum will fill you up,” says Sharp.
“Like, you’ll still be hungry because you haven’t eaten at all.”
She also cautions that the experiments only monitored hunger over the course of 30 minutes, and it’s likely that hunger will peak after another half hour, leading to snacking.
Dr. Sharp describes research showing how chewing gum can increase feelings of satiety.
The research in this area should not be interpreted as an ‘invitation’ to chew gum all day instead of actually eating.
This behavior would be classified as disordered and could indicate a serious eating disorder, says Sharp.
“But rather, if you like chewing gum and you’re on a weight loss journey, it can help you stay on track to maintain a healthy, modest calorie deficit.
“And more importantly, what I hope you get out of this is to chew your damn food.”
If you expect to get the exact same effects of Ozempic from chewing gum, you will probably end up disappointed.
A 2006 British study found that participants who chewed gum for an extended period before a meal ate about 40 fewer calories than those who did not chew.
In comparison, the trials with Ozempic have shown that people who inject the drug eat about 25 percent fewer calories compared to controls.
About nine million prescriptions for the blockbuster weight loss drug are written every three months in the United States.