--- title: Eating Too Quickly Is Linked to Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome description: Eating too fast is linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome, according to a new study. Slow eating, it turns out, is healthier. canonical: https://time.com/5023122/eating-fast-obesity/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-14T17:54:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:14:06.676Z article:section: Health og:title: Eating Too Quickly May Be Bad for Your Health og:description: Slow down and savor your food, new research suggests og:url: https://time.com/5023122/eating-fast-obesity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5a2a89356727985/6988c14a8e06016889469cce/time-health-stock-weight-loss-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5115 og:image:height: 2877 og:image:alt: time-health-stock-weight-loss og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Eating Too Quickly May Be Bad for Your Health twitter:description: Slow down and savor your food, new research suggests twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5a2a89356727985/6988c14a8e06016889469cce/time-health-stock-weight-loss-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Eating Too Quickly May Be Bad for Your Health > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 14, 2017 5:54 PM UTC  Broken plate with knife and fork on white background Broken plate with knife and fork on white background Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 14, 2017 5:54 PM UTC When it comes to eating, slow and steady really does win the race. [Preliminary research](https://newsroom.heart.org/news/gobbling-your-food-may-harm-your-waistline-and-heart?preview=38e1) presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in California suggests that people who eat slowly are less likely than speed-eaters to become obese or to develop [metabolic syndrome](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metabolic-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20351916), which encompasses a litany of conditions associated with stroke, heart disease and diabetes. In 2008, Japanese researchers, led by Hiroshima University cardiologist Dr. Takayuki Yamaji, recruited more than 1,000 healthy Japanese adults. They asked them to characterize their eating speed — slow, normal or fast — and tracked their health for the next five years. Eighty-four people were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome during those five years, with a clear connection between eating speed and development of the disease. The incidence rate was 11.6% among fast eaters, 6.5% among normal eaters and just 2.3% among slow eaters. The speedy diners were also more likely to weigh more, have a larger waistline and suffer from higher blood sugar. **MORE**: [Why Slow Eaters May Burn More Calories](http://time.com/4736062/slow-eater-chew-your-food/) Those results aren’t all that surprising, says American Heart Association spokesperson and NYU Langone cardiologist Dr. Nieca Goldberg. Lots of research, she says, has shown that eating fast is associated with weight gain and other health issues. “You probably do eat more because you’re eating so quickly. You really don’t have any idea of what you’ve eaten,” Goldberg says. “When you eat slowly, you’re much more aware of your eating. You’re chewing your food properly and you’re also slowing down digestion.” Doing so also helps you feel full. Goldberg says it should take at least 30 minutes to eat a meal and adds that [eating while working](http://motto.time.com/4497601/successful-people-lunch/) is among the worst things you can do. “Eat in a situation where it’s conducive to eating — we’re talking kitchen, dining room, restaurant. If it’s at your desk, you really need to not work at the same time you eat,” she says. “Even if it’s as short as a half hour, it’s better than doing it in 10 minutes while you’re answering your email.” If you tend to inhale your food, you’ll likely need to train yourself to slow down, Goldberg says. She suggests eating with a friend, cutting your food into smaller pieces, [chewing more](http://time.com/4736062/slow-eater-chew-your-food/), taking deep breaths and setting your fork down between bites. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5023122/eating-fast-obesity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5023122/eating-fast-obesity/"},"headline":"Eating Too Quickly May Be Bad for Your Health","datePublished":"2017-11-14T17:54:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:14:06.676Z","description":"Slow down and savor your food","url":"https://time.com/5023122/eating-fast-obesity/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Obesity","heart health","onetime","healthytime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5a2a89356727985/6988c14a8e06016889469cce/time-health-stock-weight-loss-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5a2a89356727985/6988c14a8e06016889469cce/time-health-stock-weight-loss-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"time-health-stock-weight-loss","caption":"Broken Plate","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5023122/eating-fast-obesity/","name":"Eating Too Quickly May Be Bad for Your Health"}}]}] ```