Shibuya Kenichi, Misegawa Mai, Fukuhara Megumi, Hirano Shiniya, Suzuki Kasumi, Sato Naoto
Department of Health and Nutrition, Niigata University of Health and Welfare.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2018;64(3):239-242. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.64.239.
In the present study, we examined the cognitive function during mastication of lemon-flavored gum, which is said to enhance cerebral blood flow. Nine healthy subjects (8 female and 1 male) participated in this study. Subjects chewed the gum for 3 min after fasting for 2 h and conducted a Stroop test while continuing to chew. At the end of all answers, gum chewing ended. The response time in the Stroop test was used as an indicator of cognitive function. We set the three conditions (lemon-flavored gum, mint-flavored gum, no gum chewing). There was no significant difference in reaction time between chewing mint-flavored gum and not chewing (p>0.05). However, the response time during chewing gum with a lemon flavor was significant slower than the conditions with mint-flavored gum and without gum chewing (p<0.05, in both). From the results of the present study, it was suggested that the response time delay of the Stroop test observed during the chewing of lemon-flavored gum revealed temporary decay of cognitive function during lemon-flavored gum chewing. It is suggested that lemon-flavored chewing gum forces a brain overload, resulting in a temporary decrease in cognitive function.
在本研究中，我们检测了咀嚼据说能增强脑血流量的柠檬味口香糖期间的认知功能。九名健康受试者（8名女性和1名男性）参与了本研究。受试者在禁食2小时后咀嚼口香糖3分钟，并在继续咀嚼的同时进行了一项斯特鲁普测试。在所有答案结束时，口香糖咀嚼结束。斯特鲁普测试中的反应时间被用作认知功能的指标。我们设置了三种条件（柠檬味口香糖、薄荷味口香糖、不咀嚼口香糖）。咀嚼薄荷味口香糖和不咀嚼之间的反应时间没有显著差异（p>0.05）。然而，咀嚼柠檬味口香糖期间的反应时间明显慢于咀嚼薄荷味口香糖和不咀嚼口香糖的条件（两者均为p<0.05）。从本研究结果来看，提示在咀嚼柠檬味口香糖期间观察到的斯特鲁普测试反应时间延迟表明在咀嚼柠檬味口香糖期间认知功能出现暂时衰退。提示柠檬味口香糖会使大脑负担过重，导致认知功能暂时下降。
