The fast introduction of food is associated with an increased intake of energy, with an increase in weight and with overweight (BMI ≥ 25): in this Japanese trial, 3287 adults (between 30 and 69) have been examined as to eating quickness and the habit to eat until full, in order to verify whether one of these two aspects, or their combination, more easily leads to overweight. In the overall, 46% of males and 36% of females referred to eat quickly, while 51% of males and 58% of females told to eat until full (that is to say to eat a great amount of food within a single meal). After the various adjustments (age, gender, smoke habit, physical exercise, job, total energetic intake, fiber intake, alcohol consumption, geographical area of origin), the quickness of food intake was significantly associated with overweight (OR about 2.0 for both genders), and researchers arrived at the same conclusion examining the aspect of eating until full. Subjects referring to eat quickly and to eat until full presented an OR of about 3.0 as to overweight easiness compared with the subjects eating slowly and not until full.
The trial is small and presents some faults: first of all, data were collected according to a declaration and not to observation; secondly, a causal connection between these two food habits and overweight cannot be shown. In order to obtain reliable results, it is necessary to perform prospective trials and to verify whether the change in these habits implies a BMI decrease. In any case, to lose some more minutes at the table and avoiding to eat until full are good-sense advices which everyone should put into practice, independently from Japanese trials.
