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Our latest RCT paper was just submitted for peer review and now available as a @NutriXiv preprint: "Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: A one-month inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake". osf.io/preprints/nutr… 1/7
We investigated whether ultra-processed foods affect energy intake in 20 weight-stable adults who were admitted to the NIH Clinical Center and randomized to receive either ultra-processed or unprocessed diets for 2 weeks immediately followed by the alternate diet for 2 weeks. 2/7 
Meals were designed to be matched for presented calories, energy density, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber. Subjects were instructed to consume as much or as little as desired. 3/7
Energy intake was greater during the ultra-processed diet (508±106 kcal/d; p=0.0001), with increased consumption of carbohydrate (280±54 kcal/d; p<0.0001) and fat (230±53 kcal/d; p=0.0004) but not protein (-2±12 kcal/d; p=0.85). 4/7
Weight changes were highly correlated with intake changes. Subjects gained 0.8±0.3 kg during the ultra-processed diet and lost 1.1±0.3 kg during unprocessed diet. Body fat increased 0.5±0.1 kg during the ultra-processed diet and decreased 0.3±0.1 kg during unprocessed diet. 5/7
This study is the first randomized controlled trial of ultra-processed versus unprocessed diets and suggests that limiting consumption of ultra-processed foods may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment. 6/7
However, advocates of policies that discourage ultra-processed foods should be mindful that the time, skill, expense, and effort to prepare meals from minimally processed foods requires resources that are often in short supply. 7/7
