Slow eating speed may be linked to weight loss

SLOWING down the speed at which you eat, along with cutting out after dinner snacks and not eating within 2 hours of going to sleep may all help to shed the pounds, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Changes in these eating habits were strongly associated with lower obesity and weight (BMI), and smaller waist circumference, the researchers found.

They base their findings on health insurance data for nearly 60,000 people with diabetes In Japan who submitted claims and had regular health checkups between 2008 and 2013.

The claims data included information on the dates of consultations and treatments, while the checkups included measurements of weight (BMI) and waist circumference, and the results of tests for blood chemistry, urine, and liver function.

During the check-ups, participants were quizzed about their lifestyle, including their eating and sleep habits as well as alcohol and tobacco use. They were specifically asked about their eating speed, which was categorised as fast, normal, or slow. And they were asked whether they did any of the following three or more times a week: eat dinner within 2 hours of going to sleep; snack after dinner; and skip breakfast.

More than a third (36.5%) of participants had one checkup over the six years, while just under a third (29.5%) had two. One in five (20%) had three. At the start of the study, some 22,070 people routinely wolfed down their food; 33,455 ate at a normal speed; and 4192 lingered over every mouthful. The slow eaters tended to be healthier and to have a healthier lifestyle than either the fast or normal speed eaters.

Around half of the total sample (just under 52%) changed their eating speed over the course of the six years.-SCIENCEDAILY