People who eat fast are at two and a half times more risky to get type 2 diabetes than those who take their time, according to new research presented at the joint International Congress of Endocrinology and European Congress of Endocrinology in Florence, Italy. Many previous studies have linked eating quickly to overeating and obesity, but this is the first time identifying that ,"eating speed" is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

A Lithuanian research team led by Dr Lina Radzeviciene compared 234 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients to 468 people who were free from the disease. After adjusting for other risk factors (a family history of diabetes, education, morning exercise, body mass index, waist circumference, cigarette smoking and plasma triglyceride levels) the researchers found a more than two-fold increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with faster eating habits. Additional findings showed the cases had a higher body mass index and significantly lower education level compared to the controls.

Researcher Dr Lina Radzeviciene from Lithuanian University of Health Sciences said: "It's important to identify modifiable risk factors that may help people reduce their chances of developing the disease".