Eat Slowly, Feel Full More Quickly

New evidence suggests that eating slowly may help prevent people from overeating.

In the new study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 17 health men ate 300 milliliters of ice cream at different rates: either five minutes or 30 minutes. Then the men swapped groups.

Researchers took blood samples to measure appetite-regulating levels at the start of the study and then at 30-minute intervals.

The authors found that eating quickly inhibited the release of hormones that cause feelings of fullness, which may cause people to overeat.

Obesity can have serious long-term effects on health. Individuals who are overweight have an increased risk of developing many life-threatening illnesses including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer. According to the American Heart Association, obesity was associated with nearly 112,000 deaths in 2005.

In the United States, obesity is considered an epidemic. More than half of all Americans are considered overweight, and about 20% of children are overweight. In 2005, 140 million Americans were considered overweight or obese, according to the American Heart Association. Nearly 33% of Americans are considered obese, and these numbers continue to grow.

For more information about weight loss, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness database.

References

1.Kokkinos A, le Roux CW, Alexiadou K, et al. Eating Slowly Increases the Postprandial Response of the Anorexigenic Gut Hormones, Peptide YY and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Oct 29. View Abstract

2.Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/

http://www.depsyl.com/

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/