Eating too quickly could cause obesity

Wolfing down your meals could lead to you piling on the pounds, according to a Japanese study

Eating too fast could almost double your chances of becoming obese, according to Japanese research.

Osaka University monitored the eating habits of 3,000 people and found that while men were 84 per cent more likely to become obese if they ate at speed, women also double their chances of becoming fat.

Professor Ian McDonald from Nottingham University explains that eating too fast overrides mechanisms which tell our brains that we're full.

'Nerves send signals to the brain that the stomach is expanding,' he says. 'At the same time, a hormone called ghrelin, produced when your stomach empties to trigger a hunger message, starts to decrease.

'It takes 20 minutes after you start eating for the message to stop eating to reach your brain. Put simply, eat too quickly, and you're likely to overfill your stomach and overeat.'

Dr David Forecast, consultant gastroenterologist at the London Clinic and St Mark's Hospital, says eating too fast also contributes to wind and discomfort.

'You'll be gulping down large quantities of air, which can cause some discomfort in your digestive tract,' he says.'If you feel comfortable, but not over-full when you stand, then you've eaten enough.'

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