For years there have been those who argue that how fast or slow you eat makes no difference to your weight, or your health. Well now there may be proof to the contrary.
There was a recent study in Japan that seems to show that people who eat fast are more likely to gain weight than those who eat at a slower pace. The same study also found that fast eaters were also more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a condition which is described as a group of symptoms that increase a person’s risk of heart disease and diabetes. The symptoms that contribute to a person being considered to have metabolic syndrome include any three of the following five risk factors: abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and low HDL or what is often referred to as good cholesterol.
These findings are not a surprise as there have been studies in the past that concluded the same thing. For this new study, researchers looked at about 1,100 in Japan with an average age of 51. At the beginning of the study, none of the participant had metabolic syndrome but that changed over 5 years resulting in 84 people developing the condition.
The study concluded that after five years, about 12 percent of the people in the fast-eating category had developed metabolic syndrome, compared with about 2 percent of the slow eaters and about 6 percent of the normal eaters.
One of the more obvious reasons for fast eaters gaining the weight is because of their tendency not to register feeling full while eating. That delayed feeling of fullness is more likely to lead to overeating which of course can cause weight gain.
So now it makes sense why your mother always told you not to eat your food too fast.
