Chewing gum after undergoing bowel surgery to remove all or part of the colon may shorten the time it takes for the organ to recover, it has been claimed.
In news that may be of interest to anti-aging physicians, analysis of previously published studies in the August issue of Archives of Surgery – one of the JAMA/Archives journals – reveals that such chewing is associated with enhanced recovery of intestinal function.
While the authors note that the inability of the intestines to pass contents has been traditionally regarded as an "inevitable response" to such trauma, this may be reduced.
Sanjay Purkayastha and colleagues at St. Mary’s Hospital, London, analyzed data from 158 patients and found the group who chewed sugarless gum three times per day for a period of five to 45 minutes following surgery took an average of 1.10 fewer days to have a bowel movement.
The authors concluded: "The potential benefits to individual patients, in health economics terms, are such that a well-designed, large-scale, blinded, randomized, controlled trial with a placebo arm is warranted."
In related news, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has revealed consuming oily fish once a week may protect eye sight in later life.
