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Ultraprocessed food added 500 calories
The study
The study was designed by Kevin Hall, whose nutrition experiments are among the most elegant ever run. Participants started on a minimally processed diet and then got access to ultraprocessed foods, with very few instructions.
Intake climbed by 500 calories a day without anyone trying to eat more.
Why it matters
That is why minimally processed food matters: processed food is not bad per se, but a lot of it tends to lead to overconsuming calories, and the resulting energy toxicity contributes to poor health. The picture changes for someone who needs very high intake, like an offensive lineman eating 4,000 calories a day. Getting 4,000 calories from minimally processed foods means so much gut fill that moving feels hard, and protein, fiber, and micronutrients become easier to hit when total calories run high.
How did the study control what people ate?
Kevin Hall's trial ran on a metabolic ward at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Maryland. Participants lived there for weeks, and every meal was provided and weighed, so intake was measured exactly instead of recalled. The results appeared in Cell Metabolism in 2019. Twenty adults took part, and each spent two weeks on each diet.
Why might ultraprocessed food make people eat more?
Researchers have pointed to eating speed, energy density, and soft textures that need little chewing. In Hall's trial, the ultraprocessed meals were eaten faster and packed more calories into each bite. Faster eating gives satiety signals from the gut less time to reach the brain. Those same meals were matched to the unprocessed ones for presented sugar, fat, fiber, and sodium.
Why do football linemen need such big intakes?
Resting energy use rises with body mass, especially lean mass, and offensive linemen in professional football often weigh above 300 pounds. Their daily practice and lifting add a large amount of movement on top of that. Studies of players have recorded some of the highest daily intakes seen in any athletic group.
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