Slow Down on Eating

With our eating habits getting seemingly worse by the day and rates of obesity skyrocketing, increasing research is investigating possible reasons behind these disturbing health trends.

In a recent study designed to determine how eating speed influences food consumption, 3,737 men and 1,005 women (average age 48 for men, 46 for females) received a physical examination and were weighed, measured and surveyed with an extensive diet/lifestyle questionnaire.

While participants were asked a variety of questions, a single question actually constituted the basis for the entire study: "How fast is your rate of eating?" Subjects could select from five options: very slow, relatively slow, medium, relatively fast, or very fast. Results showed that speed of eating was associated clearly with body weight, and a correlation also was noted between speed of eating and quantity of food consumed. In a nutshell, faster eaters consumed more calories and - no surprise - weighed more, on average.

Talk to your chiropractor about ways you can eat sensibly and maintain a healthy weight.

Otsuka R et al. Eating fast leads to obesity: findings based on self-administered questionnaires among middle-aged Japanese men and women. J Epidemiol 2006;16:117-124.