Impact of Masticatory Behaviors Measured With Wearable Device on Metabolic Syndrome: Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background It has been widely recognized that mastication behaviors are related to the health of the whole body and to lifestyle-related diseases. However, many studies were based on subjective questionnaires or were limited to small-scale research in the laboratory due to the lack of a device for measuring mastication behaviors during the daily meal objectively. Recently, a small wearable masticatory counter device, called bitescan (Sharp Co), for measuring masticatory behavior was developed. This wearable device is designed to assess objective masticatory behavior by being worn on the ear in daily life. Objective This study aimed to investigate the relation between mastication behaviors in the laboratory and in daily meals and to clarify the difference in mastication behaviors between those with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and those without (non-MetS) measured using a wearable device. Methods A total of 99 healthy volunteers (50 men and 49 women, mean age 36.4 [SD 11.7] years) participated in this study. The mastication behaviors (ie, number of chews and bites, number of chews per bite, and chewing rate) were measured using a wearable ear-hung device. Mastication behaviors while eating a rice ball (100 g) in the laboratory and during usual meals for an entire day were monitored, and the daily energy intake was calculated. Participants’ abdominal circumference, fasting glucose concentration, blood pressure, and serum lipids were also measured. Mastication behaviors in the laboratory and during meals for 1 entire day were compared. The participants were divided into 2 groups using the Japanese criteria for MetS (positive/negative for MetS or each MetS component), and mastication behaviors were compared. Results Mastication behaviors in the laboratory and during daily meals were significantly correlated (number of chews r=0.36; P<.001; number of bites r=0.49; P<.001; number of chews per bite r=0.33; P=.001; and chewing rate r=0.51; P<.001). Although a positive correlation was observed between the number of chews during the 1-day meals and energy intake (r=0.26, P=.009), the number of chews per calorie ingested was negatively correlated with energy intake (r=–0.32, P=.002). Of the 99 participants, 8 fit the criteria for MetS and 14 for pre-MetS. The number of chews and bites for a rice ball in the pre-MetS(+) group was significantly lower than the pre-MetS(–) group (P=.02 and P=.04, respectively). Additionally, scores for the positive abdominal circumference and hypertension subgroups were also less than the counterpart groups (P=.004 and P=.01 for chews, P=.006 and P=.02 for bites, respectively). The number of chews and bites for an entire day in the hypertension subgroup were significantly lower than in the other groups (P=.02 and P=.006). Furthermore, the positive abdominal circumference and hypertension subgroups showed lower numbers of chews per calorie ingested for 1-day meals (P=.03 and P=.02, respectively). Conclusions These results suggest a relationship between masticatory behaviors in the laboratory and those during daily meals and that masticatory behaviors are associated with MetS and MetS components. Trial Registration University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry R000034453; https://tinyurl.com/mwzrhrua

Features of Masticatory Behaviors in Older Adults with Oral Hypofunction: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In the present study, rice balls were used because there is little influence from participants’ preferences or the method of ingestion, rice balls need to be masticated, there is a reasonable amount to be ingested, and measurements can be made under uniform conditions. Based on measurements of 99 healthy adults, it was reported that the number of chews, the number of bites, the number of chews per bite, and the chewing rate with a single rice ball used in the present study all show significant positive correlations with the same parameters during usual meals for an entire day [ 29 ].…”

“…It is connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth to measure parameters relating to masticatory behaviors, so there is no need to restrain the participant in any way. We previously confirmed that the device has sufficient measurement accuracy [ 19 ], and we used it to study masticatory behaviors in healthy adults [ 28 , 29 ].…”

Masticatory Behavior Change with a Wearable Chewing Counter: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…First, there was a large variation in the masticatory behavior data. Large individual differences have been reported in masticatory behavior (Fukuda et al 2013; Uehara et al 2022), which are thought to be due to the influence of various factors such as foods, oral conditions, and personal habits. Therefore, a specified size of rice ball, a popular food in Japan, was used for the evaluations, and the sample size was calculated from the pilot data to deal with large individual differences.…”

Factors Related to Masticatory Rhythm in Patients with Oral Tumors

“…Older adults with oral tumors are at greater risk of reduced food intake, malnutrition, and an unsatisfactory quality of life [1][2][3]. Patients with inadequate jaw or impaired tissues after tumor resection lose skeletal muscle mass and have fewer remaining teeth, as well as tend to chew food more slowly or swallow larger particles of food [4], all of which can make eating difficult and decrease availability of nutrients [5,6].…”