Eating slowly doesn't necessarily reduce calorie intake in overweight or obese individuals, according to a study reported by U.S. News and World Report.

Researchers at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth examined connection between the rate of eating a meal and total calorie consumption in normal-weight, overweight or obese subjects. Previous studies have indicated that a speedy eating rate may weaken the feedback mechanisms that regulate how many calories people consume.

In the study, published Monday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers asked 35 normal-weight and 35 overweight or obese to consume the same meal of vegetable pasta in two conditions: one at a leisurely pace and one at a fast pace.

Between the two meals, researchers saw a statistically significant reduction in normal-weight individuals during the slow meal. The overweight and obese groups were statistically unaffected when both meals were compared, U.S. News and World Report.

"Slowing the speed of eating led to a significant reduction in energy intake in the normal-weight group, but not in the overweight or obese group," lead author Meena Shah, said in a statement. "A lack of statistical significance in the overweight and obese group may be partly due to the fact that they consumed less food during both eating conditions compared to the normal-weight subjects."

RedOrbit reported that the healthy-weight subjects ate 88 88 kcal less during the slow meal compared to the fast meal. The overweight or obese group consumed 58 kcal less.

Researchers discovered that both groups reported being less hungry later on after the slow meal but not after the fast meal.

"In both groups, ratings of hunger were significantly lower at 60 minutes from when the meal began during the slow compared to the fast eating condition," Shah said. "These results indicate that greater hunger suppression among both groups could be expected from a meal that is consumed more slowly."

Researchers also found that both groups drank more water during the slow meal, 12 ounces compared to 9 ounces during the fast meal.

"Water consumption was higher during the slow compared to the fast eating condition by 27 percent in the normal weight and 33 percent in the overweight or obese group," Shah said. "The higher water intake during the slow eating condition probably caused stomach distention and may have affected food consumption."