Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake

In this 2019 crossover trial, 20 weight-stable adults were admitted to a clinic and randomized to receive either ultra-processed or unprocessed diets for 2 weeks, followed immediately by the alternate diet for another 2 weeks. The subjects were given unrestricted access to each meal, which were designed to be matched in terms of calories, energy density, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber. The research found that energy consumption was significantly greater when participants were on ultra-processed diets, compared to when eating unprocessed meals. Intakes of carbohydrates and fats were higher while on ultra-processed meals, but protein consumption was not greater. Furthermore, weight gains of 0.9 ± 0.3 kg were observed during the ultra-processed diet, while the unprocessed diets were associated with weight loss of 0.9 ± 0.3 kg (both statistically significant). Weight changes were highly correlated with energy intake. This data suggests that limited eating of ultra-processed foods could be an effective strategy for weight control and obesity management. [NPID: perception, processed foods, carbs, fat, protein, weight control, obesity]

Year: 2019

Reference: Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., Cai, H., Cassimatis, T., Chen, K. Y., Chung, S. T., Costa, E., Courville, A., Darcey, V., Fletcher, L. A., Forde, C. G., Gharib, A. M., Guo, J., Howard, R., Joseph, P. V., McGehee, S., Ouwerkerk, R., Raisinger, K., Rozga, I., … Zhou, M. (2019). Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Cell metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008