A new single-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study examined how vitamins performed in a chewing gum. The research team gave 15 participants two gums containing supplement ingredients—vitamins—to try to determine how they delivered those vitamins. They looked at the release of vitamins from the chewing gums into the saliva and then sought to identify the acute impact of chewing vitamin gums on plasma vitamin concentrations.
Specifically, the authors found that retinol (vitamin A), B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, niacinamide, pyridoxine, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and α-tocopherol (vitamin E) were released into the saliva by chewing. Plasma vitamin concentrations were increased for retinol (75–96 percent), pyridoxine (906–1077 percent), ascorbic acid (64–141 percent) and α-tocopherol (502–418 percent) after chewing the vitamin gums, compared to baseline. The authors summarized, “To our knowledge, this is the first study examining the delivery of vitamins using chewing gum in humans.”
Vitamin-containing (and other nutraceutical and botanical) chewing gums are not new, but this study, which was released this November, is what consumers need—evidence that they can obtain vitamins and supplements in chewing gum.
There are a handful of chewing gums containing vitamins, and this study should spur more for your store. According to www.chewinggumfacts.com, more than100,000 tons of chewing gum is consumed each year. Further, the number of people who chew gum in the U.S. (as of 2018) number approximately 173 million, according to US Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS).
Reference
Khoo, et al. “Vitamin-supplemented chewing gum can increase salivary and plasma levels of a panel of vitamins in healthy human participants.” J Functional Foods Nov. 2018, vol 50, 37-44.
