Effects of different food hardness on cognitive inhibitory control function

Abstract Mastication leads to an immediate enhancement in cognitive functions, including inhibitory control. Furthermore, the hardness of the food increases sympathetic nerve activity during and immediately after mastication. Hence, the cognitive function could be enhanced by increased sympathetic nerve activity. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of food hardness on cognitive inhibitory control function in humans. The participants were 23 healthy adults (19–22 years old). Experiments were conducted with two types of gummies (soft and hard). The participants ingested 13 g of gummies and performed a stop‐signal task to measure cognitive inhibitory control function after they rested for 5 min. The reaction time for the stop‐signal task after gummy consumption was significantly shorter in the hard gummy condition compared to the soft gummy condition ( p < .05). Furthermore, the accuracy rate of the responses was also significantly higher in the hard gummy condition compared to the soft gummy condition ( p < .05). The results of the present study suggest that food hardness enhances cognitive inhibitory control function in humans.