Gum relieves heartburn, according to multiple studies
Posted January 13, 2011 7:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Next time you experience heartburn, don’t reach for the Tums, instead pop in a stick of chewing gum.
Gum does not only help get rid of bad breath, but several studies in recent years have actually shown that gum can alleviate the symptoms of Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn.
According to the studies, chewing gum helps force fluids back into the stomach and flood the oesophagus with alkaline saliva, neutralizing acids that cause the characteristic burning sensations.
Separate studies of people with diagnosed acid reflux and those without, found that chewing gum for an hour after a large meal reduced acid reflux for up to three hours, particularly in the heartburn group.
The study can be found in The Journal of Dental Research.
