Much has been written about the type and amount of foods used for preventing and controlling Type 2 diabetes.
Little is known about the speed of eating as a possible factor in developing this disease.
In a study reported on in the journal Diabetologia in October 2012, investigators at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, looked at how the speed of eating affected obesity and the risk of heart attacks.
This study included 7,275 Japanese adults with normal, slightly high, or diabetic-level blood sugar...

• participants with obesity or high waist measurements had the fastest rates of eating.
  
• blood pressure, and blood fat levels were also highest in those with the fast eating rates.
  
• amongst the diabetics, HbA1c levels were highest in the fastest eaters.
  

From these results, it was concluded how fast people eat can affect factors associated with diabetes and heart disease.
They went on to suggest speed of eating could be something that could be changed for the better to prevent and treat heart disease and diabetes.
It has long been thought eating fast tends to make us eat more than we need to before our body knows we are full and turns off our appetites.
University Hospital in Coventry, England, installed its "flab lab" about a year ago.
The lab carefully measures people's body weight and size to estimate their fat content, then carefully measures their food intake and rate of burning calories.
Participants are instructed to eat meals fast or slow, and their energy expenditure is measured to determine whether the amount they expend can be affected by their rate of eating.
Weight gain, loss, or stability is also measured.
Scientists hope to learn more along the lines of the work performed in Japan, but with more precise tracking of patients.
Eating while working or driving is one way we try to cram 25 hours into a day.
If we got up 15 minutes earlier we would have time to sit at the table and have breakfast instead of wolfing down something on the way from the kitchen to our car...

• taking time to have regular meals with family can help us to slow down our eating while sharing our day with them.
  
• having lunch with co-workers and friends can help to slow down your rate of eating if you take some time for conversation.
  It might even lower your stress levels, which is good for your blood sugar levels too.
  

Next time you sit down to a meal, try putting your fork down between bites and take a deep breath or count to three.
Drinking plenty of water or tea can also help slow down your rate of taking in solid foods.
Going on a trip? There's a natural tendency to want to get there as soon as possible, but would an extra half hour matter that much? Why not sit down to a meal while enjoying the scenery? Here's to leisurely meals.
If nothing else they can increase your quality of life.