Ultra-Processed Foods Alter Metabolic and Brain Responses Despite Matched Nutrients

Ultraprocessed Food May Affect Your Body Differently Even When the Calories Are the Same

It seems that having the same nutritional value does not mean your body will handle ultraprocessed and regular foods the same way.

Ultraprocessed Meal Raised Insulin More Than a Calorie-Matched Whole-Food Meal in Small Virginia Tech Brain Imaging Trial

Two 300-calorie meals with matching nutrients drew different insulin and metabolic responses in a small Virginia Tech trial. Here is what it means.

Ultraprocessed meals produce distinct metabolic and brain responses

Most nutrition science suggests that meals with the same basic nutritional profile will have the same impact on a person's blood sugar.

Ultra-Processed Foods Alter Metabolic and Brain Responses Despite Matched Nutrients

Calories and macronutrients may not tell the full story of how the body responds to food. A randomized crossover study published in Nature Metabolism suggests that the degree of food processing can influence post-meal metabolism and neural responses even when foods are closely matched for their conventional nutritional characteristics. Researchers at Virginia Tech compared ultra-processed and non-ultra-processed meals in healthy adults, asking w…

Ultra-Processed Foods Prolong Post-Meal Spikes in Blood Sugar and Insulin

Findings Surprised Researchers DiFeliceantonio says she was initially “surprised” that ultra-processed foods didn’t have a big impact on blood sugar, but did impact insulin. “I called up the lab and said, ‘Is there something wrong with this data?’” she says. “The people in the lab didn’t know the conditions [of the study]. They just had the blood samples.” She says the increase in insulin may be due to the concept that ultra-processed foods are,…