Health Discovery: Eat Fast, Get Fat

Want to lose weight? Then slow down at mealtime and don’t stuff yourself.

People who wolf down their food and eat until they feel full are three times more likely to be overweight than those who eat at a leisurely pace or stop before they feel full. The findings come from a three-year survey of 3,000 men and women, ages 30 to 69, in Japan. Researchers at Osaka University found that women are more likely than men (58 to 51 percent) to chow down until they feel full, while more men than women (46 to 36 percent) say they’re speedy eaters.

The findings were reported in the Oct. 18 British Medical Journal.

Roberta Yared is senior editorial researcher at the AARP Bulletin.