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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Patients who chewed gum had an average hospital stay of 4.3 days, compared with 6.8 days for the control group. Individuals in the gum-chewing group also passed gas sooner (65.4 hours compared with 80.2 hours after surgery) and had their first bowel movement sooner (63.2 hours versus 89.4 hours) than those who did not chew gum. Those in the gum-chewing group also felt hungry faster (63.5 hours versus 72.8 hours).
Neither group experienced any major complications.
It's not yet clear why gum might have such a salutary effect, although the researchers hypothesized that chewing stimulates the same nerves as eating which, in turn, release hormones that activate the gastrointestinal tract.
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"The theory behind the paper is that actual chewing stimulates a neuronal and hormonal reflex that helps to awaken the gut," Harris said. "Certainly, there's a great deal of appeal to that theory."
Future studies might look at alternatives to sugarless gum, such as gum with sugar, different flavors or different textures, to see if they have an even greater effect, the authors stated.
"It's a nice study and I'm probably going to end up saying if you want to chew gum, chew gum," Harris said. "I don't think gum is the magic bullet, but it can't hurt."
More information
For more on colon resection, head to the Baylor College of Medicine (www.debakeydepartmentofsurgery.org ).
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