The more people chew, the less food they consume, according to a study Reuters reported.
Researchers found people who chew their food longer before swallowing, ate less over the course of a meal, Reuters reported.
"Increasing the number of chewing cycles before swallowing can reduce food intake and increase satiety," researcher James Hollis told Reuters. "However, it is not clear if this is a practical approach to weight management."
Based on the study, regardless of whether people were normal weight, overweight or obese, meals shrunk when adults chewed extra before swallowing.
Study participants were asked to consume five portions of Totino's pizza rolls and count the number of times they chewed each roll. Researchers did not tell them what specifically was being tested in the study.
During three weekly lunchtime test sessions, researchers gave the participants 60 pizza rolls and told them to eat until they were full. Depending on the session, researchers asked people to chew every bite the same number of times as at their test visit, 50 percent more or twice as many times.
Their results showed people ate about 10 percent less food and 70 fewer calories when they increased their chewing by 50 percent. When they doubled their chewing, they ate 15 percent less food and 112 fewer calories.
"The study reinforces the benefits of taking time to chew food well and enjoy the variety of textures and flavors in our meals," Constance Brown-Riggs, registered dietician who was not involved in the study, told Reuters.
Brown-Riggs said it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to signal to the stomach that it's full.
"Fast eaters can consume a large amount of food within that 20-minute period resulting in more calories, which can lead to overweight or obesity," she said. "This may be why participants in this study reduced their food intake. Increasing the number of chews increased the meal duration."
The researchers are now looking to see whether how fast people eat, for instance, influences how much they consume.
