r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Mar 03 '25

Neuroscience Chewing different materials affects the brain and a new study found that chewing on wood (wooden tongue depressors), compared to chewing gum, led to a significant increase in a natural brain antioxidant called glutathione, and better performance on memory tasks.

https://www.psypost.org/chewing-wood-may-boost-memory-and-brain-antioxidants-study-finds/
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u/eliminating_coasts Mar 03 '25

And dogs are enthusiasts at chewing things, so I take that as a serious endorsement.

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u/FlashbackJon Mar 03 '25

If you can get Japanese carrots (I'm sure there's a specific name, but I just mean "the carrots we saw at every store when we lived in Japan"), they're usually extra girthy with a much woodier interior, and dogs still go fuckin' nuts for them.

E: The cultivar is shin kuroda.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '25

A frozen bone of the ananas too

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u/jazir5 Mar 04 '25

Oh that's a solid idea. Amazing really.