Gum chewing speeds recovery after resection of sigmoid colon

Posted by Kate Murphy on February 21st, 2006

In a community hospital study reported in the February 2006 Archives of Surgery , patients who chewed gum for an hour three times a day after open abdominal surgery to resect their sigmoid colons, recovered bowel function faster and spent less time in the hospital.  Patients had surgery because of cancer or diverticulitis.

After surgery 34 patients were randomly assigned either to chew sugarless gum or be part of a control group that did not chew gum.  Results showed average times to key events in recovery were:

The research team from the Department of Surgery at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA concluded:

Gum chewing speeds recovery after elective open sigmoid resection by stimulating bowel motility. Gum chewing is an inexpensive and helpful adjunct to postoperative care after colectomy.

A previous study reported here on C3 News and Events found that gum chewing helped patients who had laparoscopic colon surgery but did not improve recovery time for those who had open colectomy.  In that study patients chewed a stick of gum for 15 minutes four times a day. 

Media reports of the Archives of Surgery study include:

Leave a Comment Comments RSS

Your comments are welcome. However, specific medical advice will not be provided, and we urge you to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your personal questions.

C3 is not responsible for the medical accuracy of any comments left by persons other than C3 staff members. C3 staff members monitor comments and may respond where appropriate.

For the best response to your colorectal cancer treatment questions, please call our Answer Line at 1-877-4CRC-111 (1-877-427-2111).

Search C3

Sign Our Petition

Guarantee access to colorectal cancer screening for all Americans who need it.

Get Involved

Subscribe to the C3 website

Get C3 news & updates

Get the latest articles in your email inbox or news reader as soon as they are published.

Subscribe