Quick Tip: Chewing Gum May Speed Digestion

During a gastric emptying scan at Mayo Clinic earlier this year, the technician instructed me not to chew gum or suck on hard candy for the duration of the exam as it could potentially skew the results. Curious, I asked him to explain.

Apparently gum and candy both cause increased salivation, which can actually speed up the digestion process by stimulating the stomach to produce additional enzymes and digestive juices.  When measuring true gastric motility, this obviously isn't helpful.  But in the everyday life of a someone with gastroparesis, this is a handy little tip!

Just like everything else, this may not be appropriate for everyone.  It's been noted that both chewing gum and sucking on candy can increase the amount of air you swallow, thus contribute to bloating. For me, I've found the practice to be mildly helpful, especially for quelling nausea and regurgitation.

My favorite hard candy to have on hand is Sweet Blackberry Ginger Tummy Drops.

UPDATE: The New York Times published an article on January 13, 2011 called Chewing Gum for Heartburn. It discusses several recent studies showing that chewing gum can alleviate symptoms of reflux.