chew two pieces for 5–10 minutes. as you chew, caffeine dissolves into your saliva and some of it passes straight through the lining of your mouth into your blood. the rest you swallow and absorb in the usual way. caffeine starts reaching your blood within about 5 minutes [2].
two routes in
a coffee or an energy drink has one way in: you swallow it, it passes through your stomach, and the caffeine is absorbed in your gut. gum adds a second, shorter route.
- chew
- saliva
- cheek lining
- bloodstream
starts while you're still chewing. caffeine is measurable in the blood within about 5 minutes [2].
- swallow
- stomach
- small intestine
- bloodstream
the way any drink or tablet works. caffeine you swallow peaks 15–120 minutes later [4].
a 2019 study saw both routes in the blood: two separate caffeine peaks, one from each [3].
that's why gum reached peak blood levels 44–80 minutes after chewing began in a 2002 study, against 84–120 minutes for the same dose swallowed as a capsule [1]. for the full minute-by-minute picture, read how fast does caffeine gum work?
what's in each piece
| per piece | per serving (2 pieces) | |
|---|---|---|
| caffeine | 40mg | 80mg |
| l-theanine | 40mg | 80mg |
| sugar | 0g | 0g |
sweet spearmint, sugar-free, vegan and aspartame-free. full ingredients and allergy information are on the product page.
caffeine is the same compound you get from coffee and tea. 80mg is about what's in an espresso [5].
l-theanine is an amino acid found naturally in tea leaves. each piece has the same amount of l-theanine as caffeine.
how to use it
- step 1pop two pieces
that's one serving: 80mg of caffeine.
- step 2chew for 5–10 minutes
most of the caffeine comes out in the first 5 minutes [1]. you don't need to spit: what you swallow is absorbed too [3].
- step 3bin it
once the flavour's gone, it's done its job. bin it like any other gum.
- every daykeep to 6 pieces
that's 240mg. count coffee, tea and energy drinks too.
who it isn't for
who makes it
Chewphoria® was started by Ed Jones, a PhD neuroscientist, and Alex, an entrepreneur. they wanted their caffeine quicker and tidier than a coffee, in a form that fits into a busy day. so they put 80mg a serving into a piece of gum.
read more
references
1. Kamimori GH et al. The rate of absorption and relative bioavailability of caffeine administered in chewing gum versus capsules to normal healthy volunteers. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2002; 234(1–2): 159–167. doi.org/10.1016/S0378-5173(01)00958-9
2. Sadek P et al. A randomized, two-way crossover study to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of caffeine delivered using caffeinated chewing gum versus a marketed caffeinated beverage in healthy adult volunteers. Journal of Caffeine Research, 2017; 7(4): 125–132. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5724581
3. Morris C et al. Caffeine release and absorption from caffeinated gums. Food & Function, 2019; 10(4): 1792–1796. pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/fo/c9fo00431a
4. Institute of Medicine. Pharmacology of caffeine. In: Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance. National Academies Press, 2001. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223808
5. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal, 2015; 13(5): 4102. efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4102
