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Chewing away to recovery

Chewing gum after surgery may make hospital stays shorter for patients who have had colon operations. A small study published in the February issue of The Archives of Surgery reports that patients who chewed sugarless gum recovered bowel function faster and spent less time in the hospital than those who did not chew. The researchers tested 17 gum chewers and 17 matched patients who did not chew gum. All had undergone colon surgery. The group that chewed gum recovered bowel function faster by various measures. On average, they passed gas sooner, had their first bowel movement earlier and felt hungry faster than the control group.

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