Bad News for Fast Eaters

Bolting food down too quickly can contribute to indigestion, and can sometimes be downright painful. By Vera Petrunina/Shutterstock

Eating your food too fast may harm your body in ways you never considered. Research shows it may up your odds of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke, not to mention tipping the scales in the wrong direction. But there are methods to turn this habit around, especially if you approach it mindfully.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Gobbling down your food too fast when you eat may not only eventually require loosening your belt; it may even contribute to the development of metabolic conditions and three of the most serious disease risks
• 1 out of 3 adults in the U.S. have metabolic syndrome
• The longer you chew, the more time enzymes in your saliva have to start the digestion process, and could reduce how much you eat by almost 15%, which over time could represent a significant weight loss
• Creating a calm environment by minimizing distractions and putting down your utensils between bites are two ways you can mindfully approach eating more slowly, for both your nutritional and emotional health

There are many things regarding food that are said to be good or bad for you, but you may not have thought of this one: Eating too fast can literally do you in, and in a few more ways than what might be obvious. When you’re really hungry and what you’re eating is just so amazingly good — that’s a perfect recipe for eating too fast, which may present a choking hazard, but there’s more than that you should be aware of.

At least one study shows that the habit of “shoveling in” one bite after another may not only require you to loosen your belt; it may even up your odds for one or more of the “big three” cardiometabolic conditions: heart disease, diabetes and stroke, and what’s known as a “cluster” of five risk factors. Medical News Today[1] lists them:

• High blood pressure
• High triglycerides (the fats found in the blood)
• High fasting blood sugar
• Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
• A large waistline

Obesity plays straight into the hands of metabolic syndrome, and more people than ever are developing the above risk factors. In fact, 1 in 3 U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveals.[2] Metabolic syndrome may even jump ahead of smoking as the biggest risk factor for heart disease.[3]