Self-Reported Eating Speed Is Associated with Indicators of Obesity in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Eating speed (ES) as a dietary behaviour has become a widely discussed factor for weight management and obesity. This study analysed the relationship between ES and anthropometric indicators of obesity, including BMI and waist circumference (WC) in adults. A search conducted of PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct and Scopus found six longitudinal studies and fifteen cross-sectional studies published for further analysis. A quality assessment was performed with the MINORS checklist. Eight studies were included in the meta-analysis and almost all reviewed studies showed that ES was associated with BMI, and non-fast eaters had significantly lower BMI than fast eaters. Therefore, it was assumed that slowing down the ES may be an effective strategy for weight management and lowering obesity risk. There was also an association between WC and ES. Assessment of eating speed can be included in nutrition surveys to analyse obesity risk. More broadly, research is also needed to establish a validated and standardised methodology to determine eating speed. Further research needs to examine the links between eating speed, obesity, ethnicity, sex, food culture and chronic diseases.

Eating Speed Is Associated with the Presence of Sarcopenia in Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study of the KAMOGAWA-DM Cohort

“…Earlier research has revealed that eating speed is strongly connected to body weight: fast eating is often tied to a high BMI and its associated comorbidities [18,23,[26][27][28][29], whereas slow eating is related to a lean weight status [30]. Reasons for this phenomenon are not entirely clear, although it is feasible that fast eating engenders greater energy intake [31], whereas slow eating does the opposite [32].…”

“…Eating speed, on the other hand, has attracted little attention to our knowledge, to date, even though there is compelling evidence to suggest that it exerts a prominent influence on the pathogenesis of the aforementioned disease. In particular, research shows that eating fast is connected to high energy intake [17] and a high body weight [18], which in turn may help attenuate the wasting effects of sarcopenia. For this cross-sectional investigation, we evaluated the relationship between eating speed and the presence of sarcopenia in older patients with T2D, hypothesizing that eating speed would be inversely associated with the presence of sarcopenia.…”

Impact of Eating Speed on Muscle Mass in Older Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Study of KAMOGAWA–DM Cohort

“…By contrast, fast eating speed is related to obesity, T2DM, and NAFLD (14)(15)(16). The reasons for this may be as follows: slow eating speed leads to lower energy intake (43), but fast eating speed is related to increased energy intake (14,43,44). Furthermore, fast speed eating is associated with obesity, reducing energy consumption after meals, phosphorylation of Akt because of postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia (16).…”

“…The present study also reported that slow–speed eating was related to poor nutrition ( 17 ). By contrast, fast eating speed is related to obesity, T2DM, and NAFLD ( 14 – 16 ). The reasons for this may be as follows: slow eating speed leads to lower energy intake ( 43 ), but fast eating speed is related to increased energy intake ( 14 , 43 , 44 ).…”

“…Previous studies have shown that adequate macro-and micronutrients are important for maintaining muscle mass in patients with T2DM (11)(12)(13). Eating speed is also important because fast eating is associated with obesity (14), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (15), and T2DM (16); therefore, slow eating speed may be effective for lowering obesity risk. On the contrary, slow eating increases the risk of undernutrition (17).…”