Chewing gum that stops sugar cravings created by start-up

Sweet Victory’s new chewing gum range claims to stop sugary cravings in their tracks. Within two minutes of chewing, the manufacturer claims sugar receptors on the tongue are blocked, and its effect can last up to two hours. During that time, sweet foods or beverages that normally excite the senses will taste bland or even sour. Could this new technology help people kick their sugar cravings for good? 

“Most of us battle with sweet cravings on a daily basis,” noted Gitit Lahav, a psychologist who spent almost a decade researching the link between nutrition and psychology. Lahav co-founded Sweet Victory with Shimrit Lev, a professional nutritional instructor.

“Even as awareness of the impact of overindulgent sugar consumption on personal wellbeing grows, kicking the sugar ‘habit’ is a real struggle for most of us. This is what spurred us to seek a solution that would help consumers take better control over their nutritional choices”.

With their background in botanicals, Lahav and Lev turned to the ancient Indian botanical gymnema for its positive effect on glucose metabolism. “It was said to inhibit sugar absorption beyond its effect on the tongue”, explains Lev. “These molecules fill the receptor locations on the taste buds and prevent activation by sugar molecules present in the food, thereby curbing the sugar craving”.

The duo experimented with homemade chewing gum recipes at first, using home gum-making kits. Then they combined the techniques with their nutritional knowledge to derive an ideal recipe using a few select natural sweeteners. The formula was further perfected with the help of a leading Israeli confectionary manufacturer. Today, following sourcing of organic gymnema leaves in India, the start-up manufactures its plant-based gum in a facility in Italy approved for producing functional supplements and is available in two flavors: peppermint and lemon and ginger.

“The gum works on both a physical and a psychological level,” adds Lahav “Most people crave something sweet at certain times of the day, usually after lunch and at night. Over time, it becomes an automatic instinct that makes the habit even harder to break. Chewing Sweet Victory gum at those challenging moments can slowly break bad habits and help build better, healthier habits”. 

Further clinical trials to determine its effect on blood sugar levels in those with diabetes are in the pipeline.