It’s safe to chew gum while fasting before surgery, researchers report.
Patients are usually told not to eat or drink before surgery to prevent complications while they’re under anesthesia, but it wasn’t clear if the same was true for chewing gum.
This new study included 67 patients who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures. About half the patients were allowed to chew gum until just before the start of the procedure, with no limit on the amount or type of gum, or duration of chewing.
The other patients did not chew gum.