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Effect of chewing a single betel–quid on autonomic nervous modulation in healthy young adults

¹ Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang–Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Laboratory of Biophysics, Department of Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, National Yang–Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

	Abstract

Betel–quid is widely used around the world as a stimulant for the autonomic nervous system. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of betel–quid chewing on autonomic nervous modulation by using spectral heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Twenty healthy young adults were included in this study. Each subject chewed a single betel–quid containing one betel nut or a piece of chewing–gum for 60 min on different days in random order. Spectral HRV measures were obtained before, and 5, 30 and 60 min after starting to chew betel–quid or gum. Sequential changes in HRV measures were compared between chewing gum and betel–quid. Heart rate was significantly elevated after 5 min chewing betel–quid, but not after chewing gum. The normalized low–frequency power and low–/high–frequency power ratio were elevated after 5 min chewing gum or betel–quid; however, the normalized high–frequency power was reduced after 5 min chewing gum or betel–quid. The percentage changes in total power after 5, 30 and 60 min chewing betel–quid were significantly lower than those after chewing gum. This study confirms that novice chewing of betel–quid modulates autonomic nervous system activity; transiently enhancing sympathetic activity and gradually suppressing vagal activity in healthy young adults

Key Words: betel–quid, autonomic nervous system, heart rate, heart rate variability, sympathetic, vagal

First published on February 28, 2008, doi:10.1177/0269881107083840

Journal of Psychopharmacology 2008;22:910.

A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2008


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