Five Chiba Lotte Marines Players Conduct 'Gum Select & Chewing Power Measurement' to Boost Performance for the Season

Lotte Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Hideki Nakajima; hereinafter 'Lotte') conducted chewing power measurements and customized 'Gum Select' sessions for five players of the professional baseball team 'Chiba Lotte Marines' on March 14, 2026, as part of the 'Chewing Sports Project,' which promotes the value of 'chewing' in sports. Research has revealed that 'chewing' is closely related to sports, offering various benefits such as increased instantaneous muscle activity, improved concentration and judgment, and relaxation effects. Lotte leverages these insights to provide ongoing support to the Chiba Lotte Marines. The measurement session invited Professor Tomotaka Takeda from the Department of Oral Health Science at Tokyo Dental University, who provided advice to each player based on the results. Research shows that 'Gum Training' enhances training effects. Chewing power is deeply linked to whole-body muscle activity; in baseball, it is reported that the activation of masticatory muscles allows for efficient and effective power generation during batting. Furthermore, improvements in explosive power, enhanced static balance to reduce knee injury risks, and improved occlusal balance have been reported. This year, five players—Takabe, Kojima, Kimura, Ueda, and Mohri—participated in the measurements and professional gum selection. Following the results, Professor Takeda provided individual feedback. Kimura expressed his desire to strengthen his chewing power, while Mohri, who had the strongest chewing power, commented, 'I tend to get nervous, so I hope to relax while chewing during warm-ups and enter the game with a good sense of tension.' Professor Takeda noted that each player's occlusal balance was ideal and encouraged them to continue gum training to help improve performance. After the measurements, players selected their 'Professional Gum' from 60 combinations of shape, hardness, and flavor. Kimura chose a hard type to further train his chewing power. Takabe, who often chews gum before and during games, said, 'I want this gum to help me make good plays when I need to switch my focus.' Ueda, who showed a slight imbalance in his chewing power, expressed his motivation to improve his performance. Kojima, who chose the same grapefruit soft type as before, emphasized the importance of durability, stating, 'Since this gum maintains its hardness until the end, I want to work hard to maintain good performance for a long time in games, just like the gum's durability.'