What Happens when Our Bodies Process Ultra-Processed Food?
Just under 60 adults in the study showed higher insulin and longer blood sugar spikes after the ultraprocessed meal, researchers said.
- A study published in Nature Metabolism on October 5 reports that ultraprocessed foods provoke distinct metabolic and neural responses compared to minimally processed meals, even when nutritional content remains identical.
- Led by neuroscientist Alex DiFeliceantonio, researchers at Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute rigorously matched meals on 22 characteristics to isolate processing effects, with 32 of 57 recruits completing both metabolic and brain imaging sessions.
- After consuming ultraprocessed meals, participants displayed higher insulin responses and elevated blood sugar, while brain imaging revealed different activation in reward regions, suggesting "the brain is encoding the value of these foods differently."
- Participants aged 18 to 21 consumed more calories at breakfast following the ultraprocessed diet, often snacking when not hungry; researchers note this tendency predicts later weight gain in young people.
- Nutrition epidemiologist Lindsey Smith Taillie of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says "validation studies are needed" to understand if short-term metabolic changes drive long-term health outcomes associated with ultraprocessed foods.
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What happens when our bodies process ultra-processed food?
Ultraprocessed food prompted the body to release more insulin and expend more energy while burning less carbohydrate for fuel.
Why ultra-processed foods make teens eat more when they aren’t hungry
A Virginia Tech study shows that ultra-processed foods may influence adolescents differently from slightly older young adults. Participants aged 18 to 21 ate more at a buffet and snacked even when not hungry after two weeks on an ultra-processed diet. Because eating without hunger predicts future weight gain, these findings hint at a heightened vulnerability during late adolescence.
Scientists Served Processed and Unprocessed Meals—Then Compared the Effects
The way food is processed, not just its nutritional value, could affect how your body responds to it, researchers at Virginia Tech have found. The scientists gave participants either a minimally or significantly processed meal and made sure that both had the same nutritional value. They found…
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