Eating-speed effects food intake

Older adults looking to lose weight are being advised to eat their food slower by industry experts.

Research has confirmed that eating slower reduces food intake, which in turn serves to reduce body weight.

The study also found gender disparities in eating speeds, with men eating significantly faster than women.

Professor Kathleen Melanson, who led the study, stated: "The men who reported eating slowly ate at about the same rate as the women who reported eating quickly."

To explain the difference, Professor Melanson hypothesises that eating speed is related to different energy needs between men and women.

A restricted diet has long been associated with physical fitness in old age.

Limiting calorie intake can lead to a longer life and slow the progression into physical disability.

A study in America using a rat model of life-time caloric restriction showed that diet reduces visceral fat, which is a common contributory factor to many human chronic diseases.

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