Speed Eating Linked to Poor Teen Mental Health.

In 2025, Yuko Fujita and Tomohiro Takeshima from Nagasaki University surveyed 106 adolescents and young adults (aged 12-24) in Japan. They used a lifestyle questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to check mental health, and a gummy jelly test to measure swallowing threshold (how fast someone eats). Low swallowing threshold (fast eating) was set as the bottom 20% of glucose levels from chewed jellies.

Fast eaters had 8.5 times higher odds of poor mental health and 5.6 times higher odds if they skipped physical activity. Poor mental health, like stress or depression, was strongly tied to speed eating, which may worsen mood and health over time.

Slow down meals and stay active to support better mental health in teens and young adults.