Chewing ability could be linked to metabolic syndrome

November 15, 2016  10:41

People who chew their food carefully are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, according to a new study.

The research team measured the chewing ability of 1,780 people aged from their 50s to their 70s based on surface area increases in gummy candies they chewed 30 times.

Dividing them into four groups by chewing ability, the research team checked whether members of each group had metabolic syndrome.

The study found that the third-ranked group of participants had a 1.46 times higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those in the first-ranked group.

Looking at those in their 70s, those in the second-, third- and fourth-ranked groups had a 1.67 to 1.90 times higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those in the first-ranked group.

“People who are not clearly aware that they don’t chew well have a high risk (of metabolic syndrome),” said Takahiro Ono, a Niigata University professor who participated in the research.

To prevent metabolic syndrome and arteriosclerosis, “I want to suggest promoting cooperation between medical and dentistry departments, including by proposing that people diagnosed with poor chewing ability during their dental checkups take metabolic syndrome tests,” Ono said.

The researchers plan to continue a follow-up study on the correlation between chewing ability and metabolic syndrome.

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