# Chewing Gum and Running



## KentDog (Apr 28, 2005)

I have been told by some cross country and track runners that chewing gum while running is beneficial for weight loss and building endurance.  Supposedly it has something to do with your breathing and makes you work harder; I don't know the whole theory behind this..  Has anyone heard of this?  Anyone know more details about the whole thing?  Does anyone here actually do it?


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## BigDyl (Apr 28, 2005)

KentDog said:
			
		

> I have been told by some cross country and track runners that chewing gum while running is beneficial for weight loss and building endurance.  Supposedly it has something to do with your breathing and makes you work harder; I don't know the whole theory behind this..  Has anyone heard of this?  Anyone know more details about the whole thing?  Does anyone here actually do it?




It hits the upper chest muscle.




...sorry couldn't resist.


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## TheCurse (Apr 28, 2005)

you can chew gum and run at the same time?


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## Squaggleboggin (Apr 29, 2005)

I'd imagine that if you chew, your mouth must shut. If your mouth is shut, you cannot breathe. If you cannot breathe, your lungs must work harder when your mouth is open to make up for lost time, thus drawing in more air than it usually would and at a faster rate. So, yes, I suppose it could be beneficial, but I don't know how much it will help.


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## maniclion (Apr 29, 2005)

Forces one to breath through the nose, the nose sucks in less air than an open mouth working the lungs harder.  I was told in SEAL pre-training that singing cadence while running helps develop the lungs too.


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## maniclion (Apr 29, 2005)

GOOGLED:
 Chewing sugarless gum burns about 11 calories an hour, adds very few calories to your day (almost a negligible amount), and keeps you from snacking (you can't eat if you're chewing gum). So keep some sugarless gum at your desk, in your car, wherever you are tempted most, and chew your way to weight loss.


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## maniclion (Apr 29, 2005)

Also it helps to keep moisture in your mouth when you're not breathing through the mouth it won't dry out, and the chewing stimulates the saliva glands.

  I also just read that chewing gum helps memory and concentration.  Wow alot of benefits to chewing gum.


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## devildog88 (Apr 29, 2005)

BigDyl said:
			
		

> It hits the upper chest muscle.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LMAO!!!!


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## KentDog (Apr 29, 2005)

maniclion - Just the info I was looking for!  Thanks for taking my questions seriously.

I've always been a gum-addict and all my favorite gums are sugarfree so I'm good.  Got a question though, was looking at the nutritional facts for the Dentyne and Trident White gums that I chew regularly and it's got 5 calories for 2 pieces, but doesn't state where the calories are coming from (everything's 0's).  I would have thought carbs, but then wouldn't the label say at least 1g carbs?  Maybe a mixture of multiple macros?  Either way, nothing important, just wanted to satisfy my curiousity.

Thanks again for sharing the info, maniclion.


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## maniclion (Apr 29, 2005)

Probably .456 carbs, if it's not a full carb or near they won't list it.  Everything has Calories even cold water requires calories from the body to warm it up for your body to use, so all those ingredients are going to take some body processing to run through your system.


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## maniclion (Apr 29, 2005)

But think about it, if you chew it for long enough those calories are negligible any way right?


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## LAM (Apr 29, 2005)

Squaggleboggin said:
			
		

> If your mouth is shut, you cannot breathe.



exactly the opposite, the body is designed to breathe mainly through the nose.  when you breathe through the mouth the large volumes of air that are inhaled and exhaled offset the correct balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood.


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## Squaggleboggin (Apr 29, 2005)

LAM said:
			
		

> exactly the opposite, the body is designed to breathe mainly through the nose. when you breathe through the mouth the large volumes of air that are inhaled and exhaled offset the correct balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood.


 That's just dandy, but anyone that I've ever seen run hard breathes through the mouth. I always breathe through my nose except when I need a lot of air (it helps to filter things out of the air and the mouth doesn't).


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## KentDog (Apr 29, 2005)

Okay, looked at the label a little closer.  It seems the gums I chew contain 2g of "Sugar Alcohol," per serving (2 pieces); technically carbs.  I googled it and this is what I found:

http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/sugaralcohols.html

It's nice to know it's not gonna give me cavities, but I feel a little bit deceived as the gum is labelled as "sugar free."  I've been chewing this stuff straight all day my teeth hurt.

Anyone have any comments about sugar alcohol?


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## KentDog (Apr 29, 2005)

Some other quick reads (warning, a lot of the same info):
http://www.ific.org/publications/factsheets/sugaralcoholfs.cfm
http://www.dif.org/DiabetesTopics/SugarAlcohols.htm
http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips010.html
http://www.countcarbs.com/advice/To_Count_or_Not_to_Count.htm
http://www.ynhh.org/online/nutrition/advisor/sugar_alcohol.html

So basically better than sugar but pretty much the same in terms of effects (just 1/2-3/4 the amount)?


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## Taffin (Apr 30, 2005)

KentDog said:
			
		

> Anyone have any comments about sugar alcohol?


I've heard a lot of people say a lot of stuff about sugar alcohols, but I've had a very positive experience with them. My problem was always that I had a sweet tooth, but put on weight easily from sugar. Splenda and all the other sugar alcohols let me sort of have my cake and eat it too (216lbs to 174lbs since January).

Those sites are very correct to point out that they still count towards total calories. But I think anyone on these forums knows that there's no way around conting total cals, right?


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## liamc1 (Apr 30, 2005)

hmmm i heard that thing about the chewing gum once before, personaly i cudnt do it, im realy piky on setting my breathing right when i run, but if you are chewing gum it will disable you to breathe as freely, maybe to the extent that you wont be taking in as much oxygen, this is called your oxygen det. when you sort of ow your body oxygen, i think when this happens your body takes energy from glucose or glycogen stores in the body? (i think) so i gess training with gum would make training harder, train you oxygen det. well im sure thats what gcse's PE told me


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## slider (Apr 30, 2005)

I was a tri-athalete for a while and you should breathe through your nose and mouth at the same time.  Physiologicaly depriving your body of oxygon does nothing but drive it into an anerobic state actualy filling muscle full with lactic acid destrying them.  remeber this if you remeber nothing profesional athletes take in twice to three times as much air as joe shmoe so don't deprive your self of oxygon inorder to lose weight breathe like crazy just don't hypervetelate.  Next point there is no magic bullit the mafia shot jfk and just run farther/longer.  Check out the "Step Diet" it is an amaizing way to acuratly shave off pounds a week.


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## liamc1 (Apr 30, 2005)

yer that was sorta wot i was getin at


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## Hench (Jan 28, 2009)

Braidy Layne said:


> um usually depending on the person, if you go to a safe place .. start to run & concentrate on only chewing it will help. but also if you have an ipod or whatever and you turn it up really loud and only concentrate on the lyrics it helps you to keep running & completly forget how tired you are! i do it, and it works  hope this helps



1. Dug up a 4 year old thread
2. It is your third post
3. You have a link to a website that sells gum in your sig.

ding.ding.ding.ding   we have a winner -


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## Merkaba (Jan 28, 2009)

Lame


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## ballin363 (Jan 28, 2009)

Gum is delicious


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