Self-awareness of fast eating and its impact on diagnostic components of metabolic syndrome among middle-aged Japanese males and females

Associations Between Eating Speed, Diet Quality, Adiposity, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE

To assess the associations between eating speed, adiposity, cardiometabolic risk factors, and diet quality in a cohort of Spanish preschool-children.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional study in 1371 preschool age children (49% girls; mean age, 4.8 ± 1.0 years) from the Childhood Obesity Risk Assessment Longitudinal Study (CORALS) cohort was conducted. After exclusions, 956 participants were included in the analyses. The eating speed was estimated by summing the total minutes used in each of the 3 main meals and then categorized into slow, moderate, or fast. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were fitted to assess the β-coefficient, or OR and 95% CI, between eating speed and body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass index (FMI), blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and lipid profile.

RESULTS

Compared with participants in the slow-eating category, those in the fast-eating category had a higher prevalence risk of overweight/obesity (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.8-4.4; P < .01); larger waist circumference (β, 2.6 cm; 95% CI, 1.5-3.8 cm); and greater FMI (β, 0.3 kg/m²; 95% CI, 0.1-0.5 kg/m²), systolic blood pressure (β, 2.8 mmHg; 95% CI, 0.6-4.9 mmHg), and fasting plasma glucose levels (β, 2.7 mg/dL, 95% CI, 1.2-4.2 mg/dL) but lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet (β, -0.5 points; 95% CI, -0.9 to -0.1 points).

CONCLUSIONS

Eating fast is associated with higher adiposity, certain cardiometabolic risk factors, and lower adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Further long-term and interventional studies are warranted to confirm these associations.

Clinical practice advice on lifestyle modification in the management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Japan: an expert review

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver diseases worldwide, including in Japan. The Japanese Society of Gastroenterology (JSGE) and the Japanese Society of Hepatology (JSH) have established the Japanese NAFLD/NASH guidelines in 2014 and revised these guidelines in 2020. As described in these guidelines, weight reduction by diet and/or exercise therapy is important for the treatment of NAFLD patients. The I148M single nucleotide polymorphism (rs738409 C > G) of PNPLA3 (patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 protein) is widely known to be associated with the occurrence and progression of NAFLD. In the Japanese, the ratio of PNPLA3 gene polymorphisms found is approximately 20%, which is higher than that found in Westerners. In addition, the ratio of lean NAFLD patients is also higher in Japan than in Western countries. Therefore, the method for lifestyle guidance for the NAFLD patients in Japan would be different from that for the people in Western countries. The problems in the treatment of NAFLD patients include alcohol consumption and sarcopenia. Therefore, guidelines that can help clinicians treat Japanese patients with NAFLD are needed. In this expert review, we summarize evidence-based interventions for lifestyle modification (diet, exercise, alcohol, and sarcopenia) for the treatment of patients with NAFLD, especially from Japan and Asian countries.

Association between intensive health guidance focusing on eating quickly and metabolic syndrome in Japanese middle-aged citizens

PURPOSE

The purpose of this intervention study was to investigate whether intensive health guidance focusing on eating quickly can prevent metabolic syndrome (MetS) more effectively than standard routine guidance in Japanese citizens living in rural areas.

METHODS

This controlled, non-randomized, intervention study analyzed 141 participants with MetS at baseline. Participants in the intervention group received health guidance focusing on eating quickly and standard health guidance about MetS in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan, whereas participants in the control group received only standard health guidance about MetS. The primary study outcome was the prevalence of MetS at a 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS

At 1-year follow-up, the prevalence of MetS in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p = 0.003). The decreases in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference and triglycerides from baseline to 1 year were significantly greater in the intervention group than in the control group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Intensive health guidance focusing on eating quickly is more effective for improving MetS than standard Japanese health guidance alone.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II, Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization. TRIAL REGISTRY NAME, REGISTRATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, AND URL FOR THE REGISTRY: UMIN, UMIN000030600, http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index-j.htm.

Association between self-reported eating speed and metabolic syndrome in a Beijing adult population: a cross-sectional study

Background

Research on the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS), its components and eating speed is limited in China. The present study aimed to clarify the association between MetS, its components and eating speed in a Beijing adult population.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 7972 adults who were 18–65 years old and who received health check-ups at the Beijing Physical Examination Center in 2016. Logistic regression was conducted to explore the associations between MetS, its components and eating speed.

Results

The prevalence of MetS in this population was 24.65% (36.02% for males and 10.18% for females). Eating speed was significantly associated with a high risk for MetS, elevated blood pressure, and central obesity for both genders. Eating speed was associated with a high risk for elevated triglycerides and with a reduction in high-density lipoprotein in males, and eating speed was associated with a high risk for elevated fasting plasma glucose in females. Compared with slow eating speed, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios of medium eating speed and fast eating speed for MetS were 1.65 (95% confidence interval 1.32–2.07) and 2.27 (95% confidence interval 1.80–2.86) for all subjects, 1.58 (95% confidence interval 1.21–2.07) and 2.21 (95% confidence interval 1.69–2.91) for males, and 1.75 (95% confidence interval 1.15–2.68) and 2.27 (95% confidence interval 1.46–3.53) for females, respectively.

Conclusions

Eating speed is positively associated with MetS and its components. Future recommendations aiming to prevent MetS and its components may focus on eating speed.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5784-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impact of the Visceral Fat Area Measured by Dual Impedance Method on the Diagnostic Components of Metabolic Diseases in a Middle-aged Japanese Population

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the associations between the visceral fat area (VFA) and the subcutaneous fat area (SFA) as estimated by the dual impedance method with a body composition monitor (BCM) and the diagnostic components of metabolic syndrome in a middle-aged Japanese population. Methods The subjects included 303 men (average age 51.3±9.0 years old) and 345 women (average age 40.0±9.4 years old). The VFA and SFA were estimated by BCM, and the associations among the components of metabolic syndrome (waist circumference, blood pressure and related blood sample tests) were evaluated. Results VFA showed positive correlations with waist circumference, HbA1c, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)/low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglyceride and uric acid level in men, while showing positive correlations with waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride and HbA1c in women. The estimated SFA showed positive correlations with systolic blood pressure, HDL/LDL cholesterol and triglyceride in men, and HDL cholesterol and triglyceride in women. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed the estimated VFA to be as effective as WC to identify subject with metabolic syndrome. Conclusion By estimating the VFA using BCM, it may be possible to identify patients at risk of developing metabolic syndrome and hyperuricemia.