A research group led by Professor Katsumi Iizuka of the Department of Clinical Nutrition at Fujita Health University has revealed that the "speed at which people eat" in their 20s is related to subsequent weight changes.
This research group used health checkup data from 2005 to 2025 to analyze follow-up data of approximately 56 Japanese people in their 20s over a period of more than 5 years (median 6 years), and investigated the relationship between self-reported "eating speed" in their 20s and subsequent weight changes.
The results showed that the longer a person was obese, the stronger the association with eating quickly in their 20s, and the longer a person was underweight, the stronger the association with eating slowly in their 20s. This association was observed even when adjusted for skipping breakfast or eating before bed.
Furthermore, when examining the percentage of people who maintained their eating habits (fast eating or slow eating) over an observation period of five years or more, approximately 5% of those who ate fast in their 20s and approximately 7% of those who ate slowly in their 6s maintained the same eating speed. In addition, a tendency for obesity to persist among fast eaters, and a tendency for underweight to persist among slow eaters was observed.
These results suggest that eating speed habits in one's 20s may be involved in the formation and persistence of obesity and underweight later in life. Since eating speed can be improved through intervention, reviewing eating habits may lead to the prevention and improvement of future obesity and underweight.
However, the "eating speed" used in this study was based on self-reporting, and there are concerns about how well it reflects actual eating speed. Therefore, the research group is currently conducting a study comparing the eating speed using test foods with the eating speed of normal eating habits.
This research demonstrates the usefulness of focusing on eating speed in dietary guidance for obese and underweight individuals, and is expected to be helpful in future dietary guidance.
Paper information: [Nutrients] Self-Reported Eating Speed Is Dose-Dependently and Bidirectionally Associated with Long-Term Underweight- and Obesity-Related Weight-History Groups
