Oral satiety in the obese and nonobese.

Elapsed mealtime, number of mouthfuls per meal, and the time each mouthful was chewed were observed in thirty subjects, fourteen of whom were obese and sixteen, nonobese. Obese subjects consumed their meals and chewed mouthful in significantly less time than did nonobese subjects. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the number of mouthfuls per meal. In obese subjects, oral satiety as assessed in this study, appeared to play a less-than-meaningful role in the attainment of postprandial satiety. The clinical implications of these observations are discussed.