A 3-month mastication intervention improves recognition memory

BACKGROUND: Decreased mastication due to edentulism in both humans and animals have a negative impact on brain function and cognition. Human populations have shown a close association between masticatory function, cognitive status and age-related neurodegeneration in the elderly. Evidence shows that mastication during tasks may have an acute positive impact on normal cognitive function, such as sustained attention. However, there is a lack of evidence showing the long-term effects of changes in habitual masticatory behaviour on cognition. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of a 3-month mastication intervention on cognitive function in healthy older adults. METHODS: 53 participants aged 45–70 years old were required to chew mint-flavoured sugar free chewing gum for 10 minutes, 3 times a day over 3 months. Pattern separation and recognition memory was measured using the Mnemonic Similarity Task. Questionnaires were administered to measure changes in mood, anxiety, and sleep quality. RESULTS: Extended periods of mastication gave rise to a significant improvement in recognition memory compared to a non-chewing control group. CONCLUSION: With an ageing population, non-medical interventions are imperative to delay age-related cognitive decline. Further work needs to be carried out in larger populations to validate the findings in this study and elucidate potential mechanisms.