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In findings researchers deemed "very encouraging," a large study on pregnant women in Malawi showed that chewing gum with xylitol reduced the incidence of preterm birth by 24%.
The study was part of a decade-long project in a region of Malawi that has a preterm birth rate of more than 19%, one of the highest in the world. As well, researchers also assessed the rate of cavities and gum disease among pregnant and postpartum women to be in the 70% range.
Drawing on previous studies that have shown that chewing xylitol gum leads to fewer cavities and can reduce inflammation, researchers enrolled some 10,000 women in the study, with those who received the gum experiencing decreased incidence of periodontal disease as well as fewer preterm births.
Read Chewing sugar-free gum reduced preterm births in a large study in ScienceNews
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