” sam was shaken , but brushed off what had happened — until she could n’t eat again at lunchtime , and dinner .
one day , she was starving .
“ it did n’t work , he prescribed anti - depressants a few weeks later .
none of it felt right to the businesswoman and mother of three , who loved her job and home life , and did n’t feel worried about them .
” but sam ’s frightening problem was n’t going anywhere .
at the dysphagia conference in chicago , shingo umene and masahiro hayashi explained how they and colleagues in the company ’s tokyo lab had put ieat bread through its paces .
although it looks , feels and tastes like the real thing , their experiments suggested that it absorbs virtually no saliva , is easily mashed up by the tongue , and is roughly only one - fifteenth as sticky as normal bread is being marketed directly to consumers with chewing or swallowing impairments and to medical institutions and nursing care homes .
“ i went to swallow and i could n’t , ” she told news.com.au .
bread is the arch - enemy of those with dysphagia other researchers are experimenting with moulds that shape purées into more natural - looking samantha anderson had a busy weekend ahead , making jewellery in the workshop at her brisbane home while her husband looked after their three kids .