Gum before ice cream: a trick to eat less?
NCT ID NCT02198911
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at whether chewing gum before eating ice cream affects how much people eat. Twenty normal-weight adults who liked mint chocolate chip ice cream took part. They either chewed mint, cinnamon, or no gum before a computer task where they earned ice cream. The main goal was to see if gum changes how quickly they get full and how much they eat.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- chewing gum (mint chocolate chip or cinnamon flavor)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward simple strategies to help control how much people eat during a meal.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study with only 20 people. Results may not apply to everyone, and the effect may be small or not meaningful in real life.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2013
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * age between 18 and 40 years * of normal weight (body mass index \[BMI\] between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2) * unrestrained eater (scoring less than/equal to 12 on the restraint scale of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire \[TFEQ15\]) * non-smoker (not having smoked or used tobacco products for a year or more) * like and are willing to eat (greater than/equal to 50mm on a 100mm visual analogue scale \[VAS\]) MCC ice cream Exclusion Criteria: * have any health condition that requires a specific dietary prescription (i.e., diabetes) * are unable to chew the gum for the time required in the investigation; 3) do not like the flavors of gum used in the investigation * are allergic to any ingredients in the foods used in the investigation * are lactose-intolerant * plan to make any changes in dietary intake or physical activity over the course of the study * score \>20 on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT8) * score \>16 on the Binge Eating Scale (BES10) * are not able to stay within the metropolitan area within the time frame of the investigation * are pregnant, lactating, or plan to become pregnant during the investigation * are taking any type of medication that influences appetite.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Healthy Eating and Activity Labroatory, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996, United States