Can Chewing Gum Make You Smarter?

According to the University of Northumbria and the Cognitive Research Unit, chewing gum could in fact actually make us smarter. “The results were extremely clear and specifically we found that chewing gum targeted memory,” Andrew Scholey of the university’s Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit said. “People recalled more words and performed better in tests on working memory.” Juicy Fruit, Winter Fresh or Big Red… the kind of gum makes no different. It is the repetitive chewing motion that is the key. Scholey said that the improved performance in a range of memory tests could be attributed to an increase in heart rate coupled with a surge in insulin to the brain. The experiment to prove this fact consisted of 75 people spilt into 3 groups, non-chewers, real chewers and “sham” chewers. Before the 25-minute test, they were all about to take, the two chewing groups spent 3 minutes chewing their real or imaginary gum. The tests were of questions related to short term memory, such as remembering words or pictures, and so called working memory. An example given by Scholey was the rememberance of a person’s phone number. The results were that the real chewers after the test had a heart beat of 3 beats per minute faster then the non-chewers and non-chewers 1.5 beats per minute faster than the “sham” chewers. “What we think is that the mild increase in heart rate may improve the delivery of oxygen and glucose to the brain, enough to improve the cognitive function,” he said. Scholey also said that the other possibility was that chewing gum induced a surge of insulin due to the mouth watering in anticipation of a meal. “It is known that there are insulin receptors in area of the brain which are important for learning and memory,” he said.

Samantha
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Myths and the Truth

Myth #1 - Antiperspirant causes cancer
The Truth - According to the American Cancer Society, toxins are not released through sweat. In fact, there is absolutely no scientific link between antiperspirant and breast cancer. So don't worry, you don't have to have B.O. to be healthy!

Myth #2 - Shampoo causes cancer
The Truth - SLS is a chemical found in shampoo, toothpaste, and even to scrub garage floors...but so is water! The amount of SLS in shampoo isn't nearly as strong as it is in floor cleaner. So lather, rinse, and repeat..it's totally safe!

Myth #3 - Lip Balm contains glass
The Truth - It is a product that is FDA-regulated, there is no way they'd get away with putting glass shards, or acid or menthol, in there balm. Enough said.

Megan
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