Energy intake and hunger during controlled meals
Evidence basis: randomised trials
A slower eating rate lowers short-term intake, but later hunger does not reliably change.
Population: Participants in 22 controlled eating-rate experiments; a separate 23-study epidemiological review provides context rather than causal evidence.
Research details
Summary
A review of 22 studies experimentally manipulating eating rate found lower intake during slower meals, with a fast-minus-slow SMD of 0.45 (95% CI 0.25 to 0.65). Effects occurred across different pacing manipulations, with substantial heterogeneity. Hunger at meal completion or up to 3.5 hours later did not differ significantly. A separate review of 23 epidemiological studies linked fast eating with obesity, while explicitly calling for intervention studies to test weight control.
Why this certainty
Limited certainty reflects consistent experimental direction but high heterogeneity and acute outcomes. The null hunger findings and lack of established long-term weight-control effects restrict the conclusion.
Limitations
Pacing methods and study results varied considerably. Brief laboratory meals do not establish which everyday method is sustainable or whether any intake reduction persists without compensation. Obesity associations are observational.
Effect estimate
Fast minus slow energy intake: SMD 0.45 (95% CI 0.25 to 0.65).