Impact of eating rate on obesity and cardiovascular risk factors according to glucose tolerance status: the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry and the Hisayama Study

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis Medical nutrition therapy plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, appropriate measures of eating behaviours, such as eating rate, have not yet been clearly established. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations among eating rate, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods A total of 7,275 Japanese individuals aged ≥40 years who had normal fasting glucose levels, impaired fasting glucose or diabetes were divided into four groups according to self-reported eating rate: slow, medium, relatively fast and very fast. The associations between eating rate and various cardiovascular risk factors were investigated cross-sectionally. Results The proportions of participants who were obese or who had elevated waist circumference levels increased progressively with increases in eating rate (p for trend <0.001), regardless of glucose tolerance status. These associations remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders, namely, age, sex, total energy intake, dietary fibre intake, current smoking, current drinking and regular exercise (p for trend <0.001). Blood pressure and lipid levels also tended to increase in association with eating rate. HbA 1c rose significantly as eating rate increased, even after multivariate adjustment, including BMI, in diabetic patients on insulin therapy (p00.02), whereas fasting plasma glucose did not increase significantly. Conclusions/interpretation Our findings suggest that eating rate is associated with obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors and therefore may be a modifiable risk factor in the management of cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes.

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.…”

A Collaborative Approach to Care for Patients with Periodontitis and Diabetes

“…In Japan, 17.4% of men and 9.6% women over 30 years of age are considered at risk of developing diabetes 10) . The impact of DM and its complications, which include both macro-and microvascular diseases, on health is a major problem not only in Japan, but also globally 12) . Clinical studies have revealed that there is a higher incidence and severity of periodontal disease in both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients compared with healthy individuals 4,9,11) .…”