The study used data from health checks with 59,717 Japanese people who had type 2 diabetes. The researchers wanted to see if eating speed and some other eating behaviours, such as snacking after dinner, affected obesity.However, very few people changed their eating speed during the course of the study.
They found that people who ate slower were less likely to be obese; but we don't know from this study whether changing your eating speed would work as a weight-loss strategy.
Hypothetically, it makes sense that eating more slowly might lead to eating less. Experts say that when we eat quickly, our bodies don't have time to register the hormonal changes that signal when we are full.
Eating more slowly may help to reduce the amount of calories we eat but because this study didn't look at calorie intake or diet, we don't know if calorie intake explains the findings.
The fact that the study was carried out in Japan, where diet, lifestyle and the prevalence of obesity are different, mean the results may not translate directly to the UK.
That said, some general advice provided by the study would seem to apply to all cultures. This includes not skipping breakfast and limiting evening snacks.
https://www.nhs.uk/news/obesity/slower-eating-may-help-prevent-weight-gain/
