For a long time, researchers and health professionals have suspected that obesity is associated with a particular eating style (i.e., eating quickly). Indeed, it is sometimes said that we should chew our food several times in order to feel satisfied and to 'aid digestion.' Recently, researchers have begun to explore this idea systematically. The results are striking. For example, under controlled conditions, it would seem that eating at a slower rate produces a reduction in meal size. Moreover, when we look at people across an entire country, we find that eating rate is a good predictor of body weight. In 2010 another group (Ford et al. 2010) started to look at whether it might be possible to reduce eating rate, and whether this might affect bodyweight. They used device called a mandometer to encourage adolescents to eat at a slower rate. This training produced a clinically significant reduction in bodyweight, which was sustained 12 months after treatment. 

The NBU has completed many studies exploring the putative mechanisms underlying effects of oral processing on satiation and satiety and we have developed novel methods for the assessment of 'eating topography'. We have also completed a package of work assessing whether speed of eating for a novel food is learned and whether that influences our beliefs and expectations about food.

Example publications: