It was suspected and now it has been proven. Researchers have found that people who eat fast are more likely to gain weight than those who eat consciously (i.e. slowly).

The study, held by Japanese researchers, found a direct correlation between speed of eating and body mass index (BMI). Those who ate slowly showed the smallest rise in BMI from age 20, while the quickest eaters showed the largest increase in BMI.

The findings suggest that “eating fast may lead to obesity independent of energy intake or other lifestyle factors in middle-aged, non-diabetic men and women,” the research team reported at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity.

Unfortunately, this does not explain the slim figure of hot dog eating champion Takeru Kobayashi. I guess some things will always be a mystery.

[via LA Times]