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/TheArmoredKitten Mar 03 '25

Total anecdote, but my dog's favorite treat is a big ol carrot right out of the dirt. I'll go to the farmer's market and buy a couple of em, because even one keeps her busy for at least an hour. Any time in the summer when she starts being a pain in the ass I just toss a cold carrot at her and she just hangs out in a sunny spot and obliterates it.

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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/Palico1986 Mar 04 '25

Japanese carrots are freaking amazing! We had to buy them every week while we lived there. I'm so glad the Asian market here sells them. They would definitely be in the top ten foods I miss about Japan.