The simple act of chewing gum is a science-backed way to reduce everyday stress and anxiety.
Yet many gum brands counteract these benefits with low-grade ingredients and high amounts of sugar.
Run Gum Calm supercharges the stress-relieving potential of traditional chewing gum by delivering a delicious, sugar-free option formulated with a proprietary blend of mood-boosting ingredients.
This unique recipe helps achieve a calm, relaxed state of focus without feeling drowsy, making it the perfect way to run your day.
The three most important ingredients in Run Gum Calm’s Proprietary Calm & Anxiety Blend are GABA, ashwaghanda, and L-theanine.
GABA
GABA is a naturally-occurring amino acid that functions as a neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters carry messages between nerve cells (a.k.a. neurons) and other cells inside our body to influence everything from mood to involuntary muscle movements.
While a substance like adrenaline is classified as an ‘excitatory neurotransmitter’, GABA is an ‘inhibitory neurotransmitter’. This means it blocks (or inhibits) certain signals in our brain to decrease activity in our nervous system.
When GABA attaches to a protein called a GABA receptor, it helps us calm down. It’s like a comfort blanket for our brain that melts away stress and anxiety.
In a study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, participants consumed either a beverage containing GABA or a placebo drink before attempting an arithmetic task.
Compared to the control group, the GABA groups experienced significantly less psychological fatigue and scored better on the task. They also displayed lower levels of biomarkers commonly associated with chronic stress and fatigue.
Research has also found GABA may help counter the negative impact stress has on our immunity.
A study published in the journal BioFactors tested this hypothesis with a ‘stress stimulus’ that makes math problems look tame by comparison — researchers had participants with a known fear of heights cross a suspension bridge. Participants consumed either GABA or a placebo before crossing, and researchers monitored how this impacted their levels of Immunoglobulin A (IgA).
IgA is an important anti-body that helps us fight off illness and infection. Stress typically weakens our immune system by decreasing our levels of IgA.
“(The) placebo group showed marked decrease of their IgA levels, while the GABA group showed significantly higher levels,” write the study authors. “In conclusion … GABA administration could enhance immunity under stress conditions.”
GABA’s also been found to assist with conditions like high blood pressure and insomnia.
Another reason we decided to include GABA in Run Gum Calm is because it can be difficult to obtain adequate amounts through diet alone — some of the best sources of GABA are niche foods like buckwheat, chestnuts, sprouted grains, mushrooms and adzuki beans.
Unless you live in a health food store, gum is likely more convenient!
ASHWAGANDHA
When we set out to create Run Gum Calm, ashwagandha was one ingredient we knew we had to include.
Prepared from the roots or leaves of the Withania somnifera plant, ashwaghanda is one of the most important herbs in Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems.
While scientists have only recently begun to grasp the full range of ashwagandha’s health benefits (animal and test-tube studies have found it can help kill cancer cells, for example), its effects on stress and anxiety are well-established.
In a study published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, participants with a history of chronic stress were given either ashwagandha extract or a placebo over a period of 60 days.
On day 60, the ashwagandha group demonstrated substantially lower stress scores and serum cortisol (a.k.a. the ‘stress hormone’) levels compared to the control.
A different study from the same journal focused on ashwagandha’s impact in individuals with anxiety disorders.
Participants were given either ashwagandha extract or a placebo over the course of six weeks. At the end of the study, an amazing 88.2% of the ashwagandha a group saw a significant decrease in their anxiety symptoms.
A study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements also found that eight weeks of ashwagandha extract supplementation helped participants significantly improve their immediate memory, general memory, executive function, sustained attention and information-processing speed.
With other research showing ashwaghanda may help improve body composition and boost fertility, it’s no wonder Ayurvedic healers have long believed it encapsulates the ‘spirit of a stallion’.
L-Theanine
Run Gum Calm also includes L-theanine.
L-theanine is an amino acid that was first discovered as a constituent of the green tea plant. It contributes to the rich, umami flavor of the various Camellia plant species we use to make tea and can also be found in a small number of mushrooms.
Cultures who have drank tea for thousands of years have known of L-theanine’s calming effects well before they were confirmed by any double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
“When I drink tea, I am conscious of peace. The cool breath of heaven rises in my sleeves and blows my cares away,” wrote Lo Tung, a Chinese poet born in 790 A.D.
A review published in the Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism found L-theanine supplementation can “assist in reducing acute stress and anxiety in people experiencing stressful situations.”
Both L-theanine and GABA help significantly increase our production of alpha brain-waves. Alpha brain-waves are associated with a clear, relaxed mind. The sense of calm we feel during deep meditation is largely attributable to an increase in alpha brain-wave production.
And like both GABA and ashwaghanda, L-theanine soothes and centers the mind without causing drowsiness or lethargy.
According to Psychology Today, research has found L-theanine can even increase attention span and reaction time in people prone to anxiety. It can also enhance immunity and improve sleep quality.
Other science-backed ingredients in Run Gum Calm include L-tyrosine, an amino acid proven to improve mental performance amidst stress, and velvet bean extract, a tropical legume that can elevate dopamine (a.k.a. the ‘feel-good’ hormone) thanks to its high concentration of L-Dopa.
Many of these hand-picked ingredients offer synergistic effects — for example, taking L-theanine and GABA together has been found to improve sleep quality and duration more than taking either in isolation.
Run Gum Calm is also the fastest, most effective delivery method for this blend of beneficial ingredients.
Buying all the components inside Run Gum Calm in supplement form would cost hundreds of dollars and result in a huge number of pills and powders to consume each day. Attempting to consume them via food and beverage could take hours to digest and leave us feeling sluggish and lethargic.
Meanwhile, a single tablet of Run Gum Calm is all you need to relieve everyday stress and anxiety and live life to its full potential. Available in Lavender and Raspberry Lemon flavors, staying calm has never been so delicious.
REFERENCES
-
https://www.healthline.com/health/gamma-aminobutyric-acid
-
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv/57/1/57_1_9/_article
-
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16971751/
-
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23439798/
-
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21407960/
-
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28471731/
-
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352385915003138
-
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201708/what-you-need-know-about-l-theanine
-
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6366437/