Potential Relationship between Self-Assessed Eating Speed and Recalled Duration of Eating Meals in Apparently Healthy Adults
Haruki Oshida
Division of Clinical Nutrition, Department of Medical Dietetics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, 1-1 Keyakidai, Sakado, Saitama 350-0295, Japan.
Toshitaka Muneyuki
First Department of Comprehensive Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 1-847 Amanuma, Omiya, Saitama 330-8503, Japan.
Kaname Suwa
Saitama Health Promotion Corporation, 519 Kamiookubo, Sakura, Saitama 338-0824, Japan
Kei Nakajima *
Division of Clinical Nutrition, Department of Medical Dietetics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, 1-1 Keyakidai, Sakado, Saitama 350-0295, Japan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Self-assessed eating speed was frequently used to assess an individual’s eating speed in previous clinical studies. However, the relationship between self-assessed eating speed and the duration of eating meals is unknown.
Place and Duration of Study: A cross-sectional study in Saitama, an eastern district of Japan, near Tokyo, in 2012.
Methodology: We determined self-assessed eating speed relative to other people and recalled duration of eating meals (rDEM) in 472 apparently healthy Japanese adults aged 18–69 years. Self-assessed eating speed was assessed using a simple question and was divided into three categories (slow, normal, and rapid). Subjects were asked to report rDEM over the last few days to the nearest 5 min.
Results: rDEM decreased significantly from slow to rapid self-assessed eating speed (all, P < .0001), and from dinner and lunch to breakfast (P < .0001). Similar trends were observed when subjects were divided into three categories according to chewing frequency.
Conclusion: Self-assessed eating speed and rDEM may be closely correlated with each other and with chewing frequency, and might be useful to evaluate overall eating behaviors.
Keywords: Eating speed, rapid eating, duration of eating; simple question, chewing.