London: If you want to reduce your risk of developing diabetes in later life, eat slowly, for a new study says that fast eaters have a higher chance of getting the most common form of the disease.
Researchers in Japan have carried out the study and found that people people who eat food quickly are twice as likely to develop impaired glucose tolerance, known as pre-diabetes, the `Daily Mail` reported.
However, the increase was not seen in people with other eating patterns, including snacking and late-night eating, say the researchers.
In those with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), blood glucose levels are higher than usual, but not high enough to cause diabetes. It can actually progress to type 2 diabetes if
preventative steps are not taken. Some 40 to 50 per cent of people with IGT will develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years.
In the study -- after taking into account weight, sex, age, family history of diabetes, smoking and alcohol intake, blood pressure and cholesterol -- fast eating was the only
pattern that significantly increased the risk for development of IGT.
One theory is that eating quickly increases postprandial blood glucose, the amount of sugar in the blood soon after eating, say the researchers.