Anti-stress effects of chewing gum prepared with yeast hydrolysate

In this study, we investigated the anti-stress effects of chewing gum prepared with yeast hydrolysate (SCP) in the general Korean population using heart rate value (HRV) analysis and the Beck depression inventory (BDI) and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI). Four different kinds of chewing gum (weight 960 ± 2 mg) were designed: three with different concentrations of SCP (30, 85, and 250 mg/piece) combined with xylitol and a placebo chewing gum. Displacement studies of ³H-paroxetine showed that SCP interacted with serotonin transporters with an IC₅₀ of 1.72 mg/mL. In the placebo group, there were significant differences in the BDI and BAI scores before and after chewing gum (p < 0.05). There were also significant differences in the SCP groups in BDI and/or BAI scores between before and after chewing gum (p < 0.05). In addition, the SCP-30 and 85 groups were significantly different in low frequency (LF) or standard deviation of RR interval (SDNN) value, respectively, before and after the act of chewing gum (p < 0.05). After the chewing gum tests, some HRV (HR, SDNN, TP, and HF) were significantly different between the groups. In particular, the SCP-85 group was significantly different in HR, SDNN, TP, and HF compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). In the improvement of BAI and BDI scores after the chewing gum test, the SCP-30 and SCP-250 groups exhibited significant improvements in BAI scores compared to placebo (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that SCP intake may be associated with a reduced risk of depression and stress. The SCP might have a synergistic effect on the anti-stress properties of chewing gum.