In this randomized controlled trial of the effects of chewing gum on body weight, we will randomly assign 200 overweight or mildly obese, but otherwise healthy adults (men and women, ages 19 to 50), to one of two groups: 1) a control group, which will receive printed information on optimal diet and increasing physical activity only, or 2) an intervention group, in which participants will be instructed to chew gum following meals and in place of snacks for a minimum of 90 minutes per day, in addition to receiving the same information on optimal diet and increasing physical activity as the control group. In this 8-week intervention, the primary outcome will be change in body weight, and secondary outcomes will be changes in body mass income (BMI), waist circumference, and blood pressure. Outcome measures will be assessed in both groups via clinic visits at baseline, 4 weeks post-randomization, and 8 weeks post-randomization. Adherence to the gum chewing protocol will be assessed at the clinic visits, as well as during telephone contacts at 2 weeks and 6 weeks post-randomization. The effects of the chewing gum intervention will be assessed by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), wherein treatment assignment is the independent variable; the outcome measures described above will serve as dependent variables; and pre-randomization factors such as age, sex, and baseline BMI will be used as covariates. Our hypothesis is that those randomized to the intervention group will lowe more weight than those randomized to the control group.
This is a randomized controlled trial of the effects of chewing gum on body weight. The investigators will randomly assign 200 overweight or mildly obese adults to one of two groups. Participants must be otherwise healthy and ages 19-50. The control group will receive only printed information on optimal diet and increasing physical activity. The intervention group will be instructed to chew gum following meals and in place of snacks for a minimum of 90 minutes per day. The intervention group also will receive the same information on optimal diet and increasing physical activity as the control group. In this 8-week intervention, the primary outcome will be change in body weight, and secondary outcomes will be changes in body mass income (BMI), waist circumference, and blood pressure. The protocol includes 3 clinic visits to assess outcomes: baseline, 4 weeks after randomization, and 8 weeks after randomization. Adherence to the gum chewing protocol will be assessed at clinic visits and during 2 telephone calls at 2 weeks and 6 weeks post-randomization. The investigators' hypothesis is that gum-chewers will lose more weight than those who receive information only.