Editing Chewing (section)

== Nutrition and health ==

Chewing stimulates [[saliva]] production and increases sensory perception of the food being eaten, controlling when the food is swallowed.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Peyron|first1=Marie-Agnès|last2=Gierczynski|first2=Isabelle|last3=Hartmann|first3=Christoph|last4=Loret|first4=Chrystel|last5=Dardevet|first5=Dominique|last6=Martin|first6=Nathalie|last7=Woda|first7=Alain|title=Role of Physical Bolus Properties as Sensory Inputs in the Trigger of Swallowing|journal=PLOS ONE|date=27 June 2011|volume=6|issue=6|pages=e21167|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0021167|issn=1932-6203|pmc=3124480|pmid=21738616|bibcode=2011PLoSO...621167P|doi-access=free}}</ref> Evidence from one study suggests that chewing almonds 25-40 times kept people fuller while also allowing them to get more nutrients out of the almonds. The researchers also suggest that this is likely to be the case in other foods.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cassady|first1=Bridget A|last2=Hollis|first2=James H|last3=Fulford|first3=Angie D|last4=Considine|first4=Robert V|last5=Mattes|first5=Richard D|date=2009-03-01|title=Mastication of almonds: effects of lipid bioaccessibility, appetite, and hormone response|journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|language=en|volume=89|issue=3|pages=794–800|doi=10.3945/ajcn.2008.26669|pmid=19144727|issn=0002-9165|doi-access=free}}</ref> A 2015 [[systemic review]] found evidence that chewing can decrease self-reported hunger and therefore food intake.<ref>{{cite journal|pmid=26188140 |date=2015 |last1=Miquel-Kergoat |first1=S. |last2=Azais-Braesco |first2=V. |last3=Burton-Freeman |first3=B. |last4=Hetherington |first4=M. M. |title=Effects of chewing on appetite, food intake and gut hormones: A systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=Physiology & Behavior |volume=151 |pages=88–96 |doi=10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.07.017 |s2cid=15350810 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Eating food which does not require chewing, by choice or for medical reasons as [[tooth loss]], is known as a [[soft diet]]. Such a diet may lead to inadequate nutrition due to a reduction in fruit and vegetable intake.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=N'Gom|first1=Papa Ibrahima|last2=Woda|first2=Alain|title=Influence of impaired mastication on nutrition|journal=The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry|date=June 2002|volume=87|issue=6|pages=667–673|doi=10.1067/mpr.2002.123229|pmid=12131890}}</ref>

Chewing also stimulates the [[hippocampus]] and is necessary to maintain its normal function.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Huayue|last2=Iinuma|first2=Mitsuo|last3=Onozuka|first3=Minoru|last4=Kubo|first4=Kin-Ya|title=Chewing Maintains Hippocampus-Dependent Cognitive Function|journal=International Journal of Medical Sciences|date=9 June 2015|volume=12|issue=6|pages=502–509|doi=10.7150/ijms.11911|pmc=4466515|issn=1449-1907|pmid=26078711}}</ref> Chewing stimulates hippocampal [[neurogenesis]] in both humans and mice.<ref>Smith, Natalie, Miquel-Kergoat, Sophie, and Thuret, Sandrine. 'The Impact of Mastication on Cognition: Evidence for Intervention and the Role of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis'. 1 Jan. 2015 : 115 – 123.</ref>