Spending more time at the table and reducing the speed at which you eat would be a simple and effective solution to limit calorie intake and reduce weight gain, according to results of a study published in the medical journal BMJ Open.
Researchers at Kyushu University in Japan conducted a study between 2008 and 2013 with the medical records of 59,717 people with Type 2 diabetes, disease often induced by an overweight problem.
For their research, participants were asked to report how fast they ate and whether they had a habit of, having dinner within two hours of bedtime, having an after-dinner snack, and skipping breakfast.
Eating slower helps regulate glucose tolerance
At the start of the study, 22,070 people “swallowed” their food, 33,455 ate at a normal rate and 4,192 ate every bite. Slow eaters tended to be healthier and lead a healthier lifestyle than “fast or normal” eaters.
Scientists have found a link between waist circumference and the speed of eating a meal. In fact, slow patients (7%) had a smaller waist circumference on average, and only 21.5% of them were overweight (a BMIgreater than 25).
On the other hand, people who ate at a “normal” (56%) and “fast” (37% of them) speed, had high overweight rates, with 36.5% and 44.4% respectively and a Higher BMI.
During the study, half of the volunteers increased their time spent at the table. The results showed that those who ate at a normal speed were 29% less likely to be obese than those who tended to swallow their food quickly. Those who ate slowly, 42% less likely to be overweight.
Eating fast is linked to glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Taking more time to eat allows people to feel full, and reduce their calorie intake,
“Changes in the speed at which we eat can lead to changes in obesity, BMI [indice de masse corporelle] and waist circumference, ”scientists from Kyushu University explained.
“Interventions to reduce the speed of meals may be effective in preventing obesity,” they conclude.
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