Chewing sugar-free gum can cure constipation, according to NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan. (That explains why it’s also sometimes recommended for women who’ve had C-sections to help get their bowels moving again.)
Dentists think that the xylitol in some types of gum can help to prevent cavities by increasing your saliva production, too.
And a 2025 systematic review found yet another possible health benefit, suggesting chewing gum “can momentarily boost alertness, modulate stress responses, and potentially activate networks linked to memory function”.
How might chewing gum affect memory?
This review looked at 32 brain imaging studies published between 1998 and 2004. These involved 15 functional magnetic reson...
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