Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) get a lot of negative press, but are they always as bad as people think? In this episode, I sit down with researcher Samuel Dicken, who recently led a high-profile randomized controlled trial on UPFs that challenged some long-held assumptions.
We dig into what his study found, why not all UPFs are created equal, and how the way we consume them might matter more than the processing label itself. At the same time, we explore why sticking with mostly minimally processed foods is still a sound piece of nutrition advice.
If you’ve ever wondered whether “ultra-processed” automatically means “unhealthy,” or how to make sense of the latest UPF research, you won’t want to miss this conversation.
Show Notes:
Your study on ultra processed foods vs. minimally processed foods generated a lot of interest. Can you summarize the study and what you found? What was the most surprising or unexpected finding for you?
Kevin Hall’s previous study on UPFs: Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake
Ultraprocessed food RCT from Japan mentioned by Sam: Ultra-processed foods cause weight gain and increased energy intake associated with reduced chewing frequency: A randomized, open-label, crossover study
How are UPF vs. MPF defined? Do you think the NOVA system gets it right, or does it need refining?
Does this mean that UPFs cause more weight gain independent of calories? Some argue it’s just about energy density, not processing per se — how do you parse that?
Interestingly both groups lost weight and UPF dropped LDL more than the MPF diet. Can you speculate as to why? Does this suggest that some UPFs, especially reformulated ones, might actually have benefits?
Mark Haub’s Twinkie Diet: The Twinkie Diet Professor
Can you give us an example of some of the foods in the MPF diets vs. the UPF diets? Did any of the participants comment on taste, convenience, or palatability differences?
Another criticism was that this UPF diet was high in fiber and may not reflect a normal UPF diet?
High Protein Ultraprocessed food diet causes less overeating than normal protein ultraprocessed diet: Short-term effects of high-protein, lower-carbohydrate ultra-processed foods on human energy balance
In your opinion, is food processing inherently bad, or does it depend on the individual food?
Whey Protein is an Example of an Ultra Processed Health Food:
How has doing this research influenced the way you personally eat?
What do you see as the most likely mechanisms for why UPFs might influence appetite and weight regulation — energy density, texture, additives, palatability, or something else?
Do you think governments should incorporate food processing into dietary guidelines, or should we stick to nutrient-based recommendations?
If you could design the next big trial in this space, what would it look like?
