Sasang types may differ in eating rate, meal size, and regular appetite: a systematic literature review

Eating behaviours may be implicated in the increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic disorders. The Sasang typology, a unique form of traditional Korean medicine, classifies individuals into four constitutional types that differ in a distinctive complex of external manifestations and innate natures, including eating behaviours. Our aim is to portray a picture of the distinguishing characteristics of eating behaviours across Sasang types and to provide suggestions for future studies. Six Korean and one English database were searched to acquire relevant articles. Ten peer-reviewed relevant research articles were found. The extracted data were categorised into the domains of i) food preferences; ii) eating rate; iii) eating initiation and termination; iv) meal size; v) regularity of eating; vi) regular appetite; vii) eating disorders; and viii) psychological factors. Eating rate and meal size were the issues of most concern that more frequently were different among Sasang types. The TaeEum type seemed to have obesity-linked eating behaviours, including a rapid eating rate, large meal sizes, and a strong appetite, whereas those attitudes seemed to be in contrast with those of the SoEum type. The SoYang type shared similarities with both the TaeEum and SoEum types. Future studies should be conducted with more reliable, objective, and quantitative assessment tools such as the Three Eating Factor Questionnaire or the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire.