Chewing Gum

Retaining Memory: Something to Chew On

"As a special ed. teacher, I would have to say that chewing gum would help with concentration for many of the reasons previously listed... but here's another one to consider:

If the student is chewing gum when they are learning the material, then it helps to activate another part of the brain–this is called multi-sensory learning. (another example is writing in sand with your finger—temporary, but multi-sensory just the same).

Multi-sensory approaches tend to be more effective for long-term retention because more areas of the brain are involved in the learning process. If the gum is present during the classroom and studying process, then it should be available as a trigger during testing as well." — posted to an internet forum on Chewing Gum

LONDON (Reuters) —Elderly people wanting to retain their memory and fend off dementia should chew.

"That's the message from Japanese researchers, who say that chewing helps prevent memory loss as we grow old." New Scientist magazine said Wednesday.

Minoru Onoauka and scientists at the Gifu University School of Medicine in Japan believe chewing stimulates the brain and helps it retain memory, but they aren't sure exactly how.

"We don't touch on the mechanism," Onozuka told the weekly magazine.

But the scientists did show that mice genetically altered to develop the signs of human aging and whose teeth were extracted to prevent chewing did not perform as well on memory tests as similar mice with teeth.

Onozuka and his team also used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brain activity of humans while they were chewing. They found that the jaw movements increased signals in the hippocampus area of the brain, which is critical for learning.

As people age, cells in the hippocampus start to deteriorate and short-term memory decreases.

Dr. Joyce Wau, an aging expert at the University of Edinburgh, found the Japanese results intriguing. She said chewing may improve memory by reducing stress.

So the more elderly people chew the less stress they experience and the less their short-term memory declines.