If you’ve ever wondered why your friend who eats so much never seems to put on weight, here’s one plausible explanation: they eat slowly.
A new study from Japan, published in this month, suggests that we might be to drop a few of those unwanted pounds by changing not what but how we eat. It's true - the study concludes that by eating slowly (and resisting the urge to inhale our meals, wolfing down a plate as soon as we see it hit the table), we may actually become a leaner, healthier version of ourselves.
The study's authors from analysed the health data of almost 60,000 Japanese adults over a five-year time period and found that changes in their eating speed affected their Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference measurements and obesity status.
“The control of eating speed may therefore be a possible means of regulating body weight and preventing obesity,” the study reads.
“Eating quickly is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, and is a known risk factor for diabetes through increases in body weight."
The authors suggest that slow eating could, in turn, reduce our risk of developing non-communicable diseases - like heart attacks and strokes - by helping us to lose weight.
The control of eating speed may therefore be a possible means of regulating body weight and preventing obesity.
The information analysed by researchers in the study was garnered from patients' health insurance claims and related health check-ups that occurred between 2008 and 2013. All participants had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the study period.
Claims data included details about people’s BMI and waist circumference, and the results of tests for blood chemistry, urine, and liver function.
Records indicated that patients were specifically asked about their eating speed, which was categorised as fast, normal, or slow.
At the start of the study, around 22,070 people said they routinely wolfed down their food and 33,455 self-reported that they ate meals at a ‘normal speed’. Meanwhile, almost 4,200 people answered that they lingered over every mouthful.
Take it slow
The slow eaters tended to be healthier, according to BMI and other tests conducted, and led healthier lifestyles when compared to either the fast or normal speed eaters.
The results showed that fast eaters were 42 percent more likely to be obese than those who ate slowly.
The researchers couldn’t specifically pinpoint why eating speed is related to weight loss or gain. However, they suggest that eating slowly might make us feel full faster, and that’s why slow eaters might not put on as much weight as fast eaters.
At the start of the study, around 22,070 people said they routinely wolfed down their food and 33,455 self-reported that they ate meals at a ‘normal speed’.
The study isn’t the first on the topic of slow eating for Japanese scientists. Late last year, shows that slow eating could reduce our risk of developing – a collection of conditions that often occur together and increase your risk of stroke, diabetes and heart disease.
The research was based on a sample size of over 1,000 middle-aged men and women, whose health and eating habits were monitored over five years. The researchers found that 2.3 per cent of slow eaters developed metabolic syndrome compared with 6.5 per cent of medium speed eaters, and 11.6 per cent of the fast eaters.
Culturally, the Japanese are advocates of slow and mindful eating. In many children are even taught to eat their food slowly by chewing multiple times, as part of their early education curriculum.
Dinner then bedtime?
Other eating habits were also analysed in the study published this month, as researchers drew on participant data detailing when they ate dinner and whether they skipped breakfast.
The study showed that snacking after dinner was strongly linked to changes in BMI. Eating within two hours of going to sleep three or more times a week was also a health risk. However, skipping breakfast did not influence BMI.
“Interventions aimed at altering eating habits, such as education initiatives and programme to reduce eating speed, may be useful in preventing obesity and reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases,” the study states.
Go slow with these slow cooking recipes
Slow-roasted lamb shoulder
