Does chewing gum burn calories?

JAWZR team · 4 November 2026 · 3 min read

You'll see claims that chewing gum 'boosts your metabolism'. It does raise energy use a little, but it isn't a weight-loss tool.

In shortA 1999 study in the New England Journal of Medicine measured about 11 kcal an hour extra while chewing gum, roughly 20% above resting. That's real but small, and a 15-minute training session burns only a few calories.

What was measured

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic measured the energy use of seven volunteers at rest, and again while they chewed calorie-free gum at a steady 100 chews a minute. Energy use rose from about 58 to about 70 kcal an hour, around 11 kcal an hour more, or roughly 20% above resting.¹

The honest maths

A 15-minute JAWZR session at that rate is about 3 kcal.
That's less than one bite of an apple.
A piece of gum has a few calories of its own. Check the nutrition table on the pack.

The researchers did calculate that chewing all day, every day could add up over a year. Nobody should train their jaw all day, though. The JAWZR plan caps sessions at 15 minutes for a reason.

So why train your jaw?

For the muscles, not for the calories. Hard gum is resistance training for your masseter: stronger bite, better endurance and a habit that takes 15 minutes. If your goal is a sharper jawline, losing body fat matters as much as the muscle. That comes from diet and overall activity, not from gum.

Want to train your jaw? JAWZR hard gum comes with a 30-day plan: 8–15 minutes a day, alternating full and light days.

Shop hard gum