One Cup of Coffee a Day Modulates the Relationship between Metabolic Syndrome and Eating Fast: A Cross-Sectional...

Eating speed has been implicated as a leading cause of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, it is difficult to break the habit of eating fast. Since coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of MetS, we investigated the association between eating speed and the amount of coffee consumed with MetS.

This study included data from 3881 participants (2498 females and 1383 males). We used a self-administered questionnaire to collect information on participants' coffee consumption (<1 cup/day and ≥1 cup/day) and eating speed (slow, normal, or fast). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression analyses to investigate the relationship between the prevalence of MetS due to eating speed and the amount of coffee consumed.

The group that consumed ≥1 cup/day of coffee (filtered or instant) had a lower OR for MetS compared to the group that consumed <1 cup/day (OR: 0.695; 95% Cl: 0.570-0.847). The eating fast group, compared to the eating slow group, had a higher OR for MetS (OR: 1.689; 95% Cl: 1.227-2.324). When the data were stratified by coffee consumption and eating speed groups, the slow-eating group among those who consumed <1 cup/day of coffee (filtered or instant) had a lower OR for MetS (OR: 0.502; 95% CI: 0.296-0.851) compared to the fast-eating group. In contrast, the groups who consumed ≥1 cup/day of coffee were associated with lower OR for MetS, regardless of their eating speed.

This suggests that drinking ≥1 cup/day of coffee may help prevent MetS induced by eating fast.