Eating Fast Adds to Overweight

Eating Fast Is Associated With Being Overweight
By Stathis Constantin PhD

It seems obvious that what we eat is associated with how much we weigh, but scientific research is now suggesting that how we eat may also play a role in determining our likelihood of being overweight. Specifically, eating quickly is now known to have an association with being overweight. Three interesting research studies conducted in recent years have looked at different aspects of this association, and taken together provide a comprehensive look at the effects of eating rate on weight.

The earliest of the three studies, published in the 2002 edition of the British Medical Journal, demonstrated that two behaviors—eating quickly and eating until full—have a significant association with being overweight. The study, conducted by Maruyama et al. of Japan, surveyed 4140 adults and analyzed the self-reported data they provided. The researchers found that the participants who were fast eaters also had the highest values for weight, body mass index, and total energy intake. The results showed that eating quickly increased the participants' odds of being overweight, and suggested that the combination of fast eating and eating until full may have a significant effect on weight.

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