Trish Wetherell sometimes enjoys a piece of caffeine gum, which gives her a burst of energy without jitters. She may chew it before her CrossFit workouts, which combine intense weightlifting and cardio.

“If I happen to be dragging a bit, I’ll chew a piece and it gets me through,” she told The Epoch Times. “It gives me that little quick burst that I need.”

Caffeine gum has become a trend in recent years, even reaching teenagers.

Dr. Hannah Hays, chief of toxicology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, told The Epoch Times that she recently heard a mom say her high school-age son frequently rides his bike to the gas station just to buy caffeine gum.

Data published by market research company Growth Market Reports show that the caffeine gum market—currently valued at $320 million in annual sales—is projected to grow by 7.2 percent annually through 2033, reaching an estimated $1.37 billion in sales. An increasing focus on health, a surge in sports and fitness activities, and a growing preference for on-the-go energy solutions are driving the trend.

Growth Market Reports noted that many health-conscious consumers are shifting from energy drinks to energy gum because of concerns about increased sugar consumption and digestive discomfort.

Caffeine gum fits discreetly in a pocket, making it convenient for students, busy professionals, and athletes who want a controlled dose of caffeine for a mental or physical edge. Although the safety and overall health benefits of caffeinated gum are similar to those of energy drinks and coffee, safety largely depends on who is using it and how.

Undeniable Performance Boost

It’s easy to see why athletes, such as the high school student Hays learned about, find caffeine gum appealing. Initially developed for the military to boost energy, the gum is a popular research subject that may offer advantages over other caffeine sources.

Unlike drinks, which are often consumed slowly, chewing gum can be rapidly absorbed through both the mouth and the intestines. This delivers energy for immediate, short bursts of activity. Gum also has fewer gastrointestinal side effects than capsules.

Rapid bloodstream and systemic absorption lead to faster muscle firing rates, which enhance strength, according to a Frontiers in Nutrition study.

“The potential mechanism of bitter taste stimulation induced by caffeinated chewing gum should not be overlooked,” the authors wrote. “Specifically, caffeine may bind to bitter taste receptors in the mouth, stimulating brain regions responsible for motor control and emotional processing, thereby enhancing central arousal and improving resistance exercise performance.”

Chewing caffeinated gum five to 10 minutes before exercise significantly increased caffeine levels during exercise, according to a systematic review published in Nutrients. Caffeine concentrations peaked 40 minutes after chewing. Peak concentration of caffeine from coffee occurs 15 minutes to two hours after drinking.

Examining 32 exercise performance studies, the review found that chewing caffeinated gum before exercise improved endurance, sprinting, leg strength, and sport-specific performance. Additionally, it lowered the rating of perceived exertion, meaning that athletes felt less fatigue.

The review noted inconsistent findings for pain perception, balance performance, explosive performance such as jumping in volleyball, and agility performance such as changing speed or movement.

Cognitive performance in the exercise studies varied, which the authors attributed to dose and how individuals react to caffeine. Two of three studies that included cognitive measurements showed a positive result: improvements in reaction time in shot putting and sprinting. The third study recorded no cognitive effect.

Not Everyone Reacts the Same

“Regardless of its formulation, caffeine can cause some clinical effects,” Hays said. “In younger kids, we see agitation. In older people, it just may cause hyperalertness, leading to interferences with sleep.”

Not everyone reacts to caffeine in the same way, but toxicity is typically mild and resolves on its own, she said.

Caffeine works by activating our sympathetic nervous system. The fight-or-flight response releases adrenaline, increasing the heartbeat and widening the airways to improve breathing and oxygen intake, among other effects.

The Nutrients review states that caffeine has unpredictable outcomes because sympathetic activation is not a uniform experience. Rather, genes, health status, and past trauma create a response that could be as unique as one’s personality.

For some, caffeine can increase feelings of nervousness and anxiety and cause an overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system that tanks cognitive performance.

One cup of coffee typically contains 100 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, the upper limit recommended for children aged 12 to 18. Children younger than 12 shouldn’t use caffeine, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Adults shouldn’t have more than 400 mg of caffeine daily.

Caffeine gum, when taken at levels higher than the guidelines, can lead to increased heart rate and other side effects similar to those of coffee. Of note, caffeine gum was also associated with increased urine output and accelerated dehydration in one study of bodybuilders published in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation.

One piece of gum may contain 50 mg to 125 mg of caffeine, depending on the brand. There are at least 20 energy gum manufacturers selling online and in various markets, according to Growth Market Reports.

Caffeine Cautions

People of all ages should be cautious about overuse, Hays said, particularly when combining gum with other sources of caffeine—and because gum can seem innocuous. This is especially important if there are young children around.

“Gum is another food item, so if someone doesn’t realize that it has caffeine in it, then they have a potential to have exposure to something they’re not aware of,” she said. “I would recommend that if people are going to have a caffeine energy product, that they store that separately from other similar food items to prevent mix-ups.”

Pediatric reports to U.S. poison centers for exposure to caffeine powders and granules, which could also be mistaken as food items by young children, increased by 633 percent between 2011 and 2023, according to the results of a study Hays coauthored that was published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology. Powders and granules were the second-highest cause of serious medical outcomes, which represented 7 percent of the reports.

The Lancet reported a case of a 13-year-old boy hospitalized with agitation, aggression, stomach pain, and prickling sensations in his legs after he chewed two packs of energy gum in four hours.

Hays suspects that gum, which was associated with minimal toxic events in her study, could move up higher on the list of products responsible for overdoses as its popularity grows.

To prevent toxic exposures from gum and other caffeine products, she recommended carefully reading labels, using them in moderation, storing products safely—especially with children in the home—and setting limits for yourself and your children.

“Treat them like other medications, because that’s what it is,” Hays said, noting that caffeine is given in hospitals to premature babies in order to stimulate their central nervous and respiratory systems.

Food companies are required to list caffeine on the labels of packaged products, although it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether a product contains caffeine and how much, according to the Food and Drug Administration. That’s because products that contain ingredients with caffeine, such as chocolate chips, don’t have to list it, and the onus always falls on food companies. Even decaffeinated coffee has a small amount of caffeine.

Where Caffeine Gum Excels

Chances are, caffeine gum will freshen your breath more than a cup of joe. You can also buy specialty blends with added vitamins or herbal extracts.

Functional products such as those are likely to find a permanent home on store shelves, according to Growth Market Reports.

“Key growth drivers include rising health consciousness, increased sports and fitness activities, demand for on-the-go energy solutions, and a shift away from traditional caffeinated beverages due to concerns about sugar and digestive discomfort,” the market research company stated.