Oral stimuli during the chewing of food can help increase energy expenditure of body and prevent obesity
Slow eating and thorough chewing help prevent obesity and weight gain, a view popularized a century back and tested afterward in sporadic scientific studies. Typically, the chewing process reportedly enhances the energy expenditure associated with the metabolism of food and increases intestinal motility, all summing up to an increased heat generation in the body after food intake, known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).
However, how prolonged chewing induces DIT in the body remains unclear. Recently, Dr. Yuka Hamada and Professor Naoyuki Hayashi from Waseda University, Japan, have published a study that provides a causal link between chewing and DIT.
The study highlighted that chewing well, by increasing energy expenditure, can indeed help prevent obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Backed by robust science, slow eating and thorough chewing could be the latest recommendations for integration into our weight management efforts.