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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDNature metabolism

Metabolic and neural responses to ultraprocessed foods: a randomized, controlled, crossover study.

  • Zach Hutelin1,2
  • Monica Ahrens3,4,5
  • Mary Elizabeth Baugh2
  • Emmanuel Nartey3,5
  • Delbert L Herald2
  • Alexandra L Hanlon3,5
  • Alexandra G DiFeliceantonio6,7
7 affiliations
  1. 1Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA.
  2. 2Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA.
  3. 3Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA.
  4. 4Division of Medical Informatics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
  5. 5Department of Statistics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
  6. 6Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA. [email protected].
  7. 7Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. [email protected].
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Abstract

Dietary patterns worldwide have shifted toward increased consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), which has been linked to higher disease burden. One proposed mechanism underlying both UPF consumption and metabolic disease is altered post-ingestive responses relative to nutritionally similar foods. Here we report the effects of food processing on post-ingestive metabolism and brain response in a randomized, crossover study involving 57 healthy-weight adults who consumed a nutritionally matched UPF or non-UPF meal. We show that despite being nutritionally similar, UPF meals evoke greater insulinaemic and energetic responses, with attenuated carbohydrate oxidation relative to non-UPF meals. Between-condition differences in peak carbohydrate oxidation are associated with striatal activation in response to food cues. We also find that although subjective food value does not differ between conditions, brain responses correlated with food valuation are positive for non-UPF but negative for UPF in the visual cortex and striatum. Overall, these findings suggest that food processing influences post-ingestive metabolic and neural responses through mechanisms beyond calories and macronutrients alone.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{hutelin2026metabolic,
  title = {{Metabolic and neural responses to ultraprocessed foods: a randomized, controlled, crossover study.}},
  author = {Zach Hutelin and Monica Ahrens and Mary Elizabeth Baugh and Emmanuel Nartey and Delbert L Herald and Alexandra L Hanlon and Alexandra G DiFeliceantonio},
  journal = {Nature metabolism},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1038/s42255-026-01619-4},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42834140},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Metabolic and neural responses to ultraprocessed foods: a randomized, controlled, crossover study.
AU  - Zach Hutelin
AU  - Monica Ahrens
AU  - Mary Elizabeth Baugh
AU  - Emmanuel Nartey
AU  - Delbert L Herald
AU  - Alexandra L Hanlon
AU  - Alexandra G DiFeliceantonio
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/05
JO  - Nature metabolism
DO  - 10.1038/s42255-026-01619-4
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42834140
AB  - Dietary patterns worldwide have shifted toward increased consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), which has been linked to higher disease burden. One proposed mechanism underlying both UPF consumption and metabolic disease is altered post-ingestive responses relative to nutritionally similar foods. Here we report the effects of food processing on post-ingestive metabolism and brain response in a randomized, crossover study involving 57 healthy-weight adults who consumed a nutritionally matched UPF or non-UPF meal. We show that despite being nutritionally similar, UPF meals evoke greater insulinaemic and energetic responses, with attenuated carbohydrate oxidation relative to non-UPF meals. Between-condition differences in peak carbohydrate oxidation are associated with striatal activation in response to food cues. We also find that although subjective food value does not differ between conditions, brain responses correlated with food valuation are positive for non-UPF but negative for UPF in the visual cortex and striatum. Overall, these findings suggest that food processing influences post-ingestive metabolic and neural responses through mechanisms beyond calories and macronutrients alone.
SN  - 2522-5812
ER  -