The latest work published in Archives of Surgery says that chewing three sticks of sugarless gum a day helps improve recovery of intestinal function after all or part of the colon has been surgically removed may speed up the return of normal bowel function.
According to the study's authors, researchers at Imperial College London found gum chewing may stimulate nerves in the digestive system, which in turn releases hormones and increases the production of saliva and digestive juices from the pancreas.
The researchers arrived at the conclusion by analyzing five trials that included 158 patients who either chewed gum for five to 45 minutes three times a day or didn't. Those who chewed gum passed gas a little more than half a day sooner and had a bowel movement 1.1 days quicker than those who didn't chew gum, according to the study.
Based on more than 79,000 annual colon surgeries, the reduction in the hospital stay of colon surgery patients in U.S. could save about $119 million.
