Self-reported speed of eating and 7-year risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle-aged Japanese men

Abstract

Short page-heading: Speed of eating and incidence of diabetes Text, 2,551 words, Abstract 249 words; number of References, 33; number of Tables, 3. Conflict-of-interest disclosure: None. AbstractObjective: This cohort study investigated the association between eating speed and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged Japanese men. Materials/Methods: Participants were 2,050 male employees of a metal products factory in Japan. We measured self-reported categorical eating speed. The incidence of diabetes was determined in annual medical examinations over a 7-year period. The association between eating speed and the incidence of diabetes adjusted for multiple variables (age, family history of diabetes, smoking, alcohol drinking, habitual exercise, and presence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia) was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models. Results:The prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ) across the categories of eating speed (slow, medium, and fast) was 14.6, 23.3, and 34.8%, respectively, and a faster eating speed was associated with a higher prevalence of obesity. During the study, 177 participants developed diabetes. Crude incidence rates (/1,000 person-years) across the three categories of eating speed were 9.9, 15.6, and 17.3, respectively. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) across the categories were 1.00 (reference), 1.68 (0.93-3.02), and 1.97 (1.10-3.55), respectively, and eating speed was associated with the risk of diabetes (p for trend = 0.030).After further adjustment for BMI, a significant association was not observed. Conclusions:Eating speed was associated with the incidence of diabetes. Since these associations were not significant after adjusting for BMI, eating speed may act via its effect on body weight. Eating speed is a controllable risk factor, and eating slowly could be an acceptable lifestyle intervention for the prevention of diabetes mellitus.

Objective and Subjective Eating Speeds Are Related to Body Composition and Shape in Female College Students

“…The subjects in the present study who assessed themselves as fast eaters tended to be overweight and obese, and indeed ate the test meal with a smaller total number of chews and shorter total meal duration than did the slow eaters. This is consistent with the findings of many previous studies of the relationships between the objectively and subjectively assessed eating speeds and the body composition and shape (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). Previous studies have also demonstrated that fast eating induces overeating, and that overeating is related to weight gain due to the ingestion of a larger volume of food before experiencing satiety (22)(23)(24).…”

“…Cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental studies have provided strong evidence for fast eating inducing overweight (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). The subjects in the present study who assessed themselves as fast eaters tended to be overweight and obese, and indeed ate the test meal with a smaller total number of chews and shorter total meal duration than did the slow eaters.…”

“…Slow eating, which involves chewing food slowly and thoroughly, is an effective strategy for preventing overweight and obesity, with many previous studies having found eating speed to be related to the body composition and shape (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). However, these studies were limited by their use of questionnaires to assess the eating speed.…”

“…The present study assessed eating speed both objectively and subjectively because it was unclear whether the subjective eating speed, as used in previous studies (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18), actually reflects a subject's actual eating speed. The objectively assessed variables of eating speed, total number of chews and total meal duration were significantly negatively correlated with the body mass, %Fat, BMI, and circumferences of the waist, abdomen and hip.…”

Effect of eating speed on obesity and diabetes mellitus

“…Thus, eating slowly per se does not affect postprandial glucose or gastrointestinal hormone levels directly in patients with type 2 diabetes. Indeed, the speed of eating was associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes, but associations between eating speed and the incidence of diabetes were not significant in models with additional adjustment for BMI [29] . Therefore, eating slowly prevents excess energy intake and body weight gain over a long observation period and may improve insulin resistance and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.…”