Does chewing gum mentally help basketball players make foul shots? I often see basketball players chew gum while making foul shots. 

Does this help in their accuracy?
Any embodied cognitive explanation for this?
Chewing gum increases heart rate and blood pressure through muscular exercise (Farella, Bakke, Michelotti, Marotta &amp; Martina, 1999) and enhances mental performance through improved delivery of glucose to the brain (Stephens &amp; Tunney, 2004).

I could not find any references to embodiment playing a role in the effects of chewing.



Sources:


Farella, M., Bakke, M., Michelotti, A., Marotta, G., &amp; Martina, R. (1999). Cardiovascular responses in humans to experimental chewing of gums of different consistencies. Archives of Oral Biology, 44, 835-842.
Stephens, R., &amp; Tunney, R. J. (2004). Role of glucose in chewing gum-related facilitation of cognitive function. Appetite, 43, 211-213.