Surprising discovery about how chewing food helps reduce blood sugar levels

Scientists have discovered that chewing food thoroughly helps reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, according to the medical website Medical News Today.

The study, conducted jointly by the University at Buffalo School of Dentistry in New York (USA) and the Hamidiye Şişli Etfal Education and Research Hospital in Istanbul (Turkey), analyzed data from 94 type 2 diabetes patients at a clinic in Istanbul. The participants were divided into two groups.

Group 1: Able to chew food thoroughly, have good "chewing function", meaning have enough teeth to chew properly.

Chewing food affects blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics

Group 2: Unable to chew food thoroughly due to severely damaged teeth.

To assess the participants' average blood sugar levels, the researchers measured their HbA1c. HbA1c reflects average blood sugar levels over the past 2–3 months.

Results showed that the HbA1c level of the group that did not chew food thoroughly was 2% higher than that of those who were able to chew food thoroughly, according to Medical News Today.

HbA1c levels in good chewers were 7.48 compared with 9.42 in poor chewers.

Initial findings

Study co-author Dr. Mehmet A. Eskan, Associate Professor at the School of Dentistry, University at Buffalo in New York (USA), said: During the treatment process, I noticed that type 2 diabetic patients, if they had impaired or lost chewing function after being restored, dental implants, had improved blood sugar levels.

The HbA1c level of the group that did not chew food thoroughly was 2% higher than that of those who were able to chew food thoroughly.

Why is reducing HbA1c levels by 2% important?

While the difference in HbA1c levels may not seem like much, Dr. Eskan explained why it matters. He said previous research has found that just a 1% increase in HbA1c levels increases the risk of death from cardiovascular or ischemic heart disease in diabetics by about 40%.

Accordingly, our results may indicate that thorough chewing of food in diabetic patients could reduce cardiovascular complications by more than 50%, he said, according to Medical News Today.

Dr. Sumera Ahmed, Professor specializing in diabetes, College of Osteopathic Medicine (USA), noted that chewing more thoroughly will release incretin hormones, stimulate cells in the intestines to reduce blood sugar levels, slow down the movement of food out of the stomach, stimulate insulin secretion and suppress appetite.

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