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Researchers have long believed that the epidemic of obesity is at least partly related to the proliferation of highly processed foods. New research suggests that the connection is real.
In a tightly controlled laboratory study, scientists discovered that people consumed a lot more calories – and gained a few pounds – when they spent two weeks on a highly processed diet, compared to a diet rich in whole foods.
Extra calorie nibbling
And it was not just explained by the obvious – processed foods containing more sugar and fat.
Both diets have been designed to provide the same number of calories per day and similar amounts of total sugar, fat, carbohydrates and fiber.
Yet during their two weeks spent on most processed foods, study volunteers chose to eat more, an additional 500 calories per day on average. They also took about two pounds (just under a kilo), while they lost so much during their two weeks of poorly processed diet.
"I was very surprised," said Kevin Hall, senior researcher at the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
"I had thought that processed foods would not really be affected because we compared diets to calories and other components," Hall explained.
So, what explains the consumption of extra calories? Hall said that he could only speculate.
Faster consumption rate
One theory is about how people ate: when they were following a highly processed diet, they ate faster.
Hall explained that whenever people devour their food, they have less time to tell the brain that it is full, which facilitates excesses.
He also said that to provide enough fiber, the processed diet included supplemented drinks. And since a liquid may not be as satisfying as a solid food, Hall said, this could have influenced people's overall caloric intake.
Whitney Linsenmeyer is a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She agreed that the faster rate of consumption could be an explanation of the results.
Eating more slowly is actually a weight loss strategy, said Linsenmeyer, who is also a nutrition instructor at the University of St. Louis.
Looking at diets, she said that it was easy to see how minimal treatment would require more time and chewing efforts.
Quantity of food processing
Linsenmeyer mentioned another possible explanation: while diets had the same amount of total sugar, processed ones had more added sugars.
How do the menus of the day differ? None of the two diets followed in fashion, such as low carb diets, low fat diets or high protein diets. The main difference was the amount of processed food products.
A classic breakfast consisting of a bowl of sweet cereals and a margarine muffin; or an English muffin with egg, bacon and melted cheese, as well as packaged tater tots. The low-processed breakfast consisted of Greek yogurt or oatmeal with fresh fruit and nuts; or eggs with fresh potatoes made from fresh potatoes.
Dinner on the processed diet includes things such as ravioli packed with processed cheese and white bread; or canned chili with store-bought tortilla chips and salsa. The undeveloped menu included dishes such as beef, whole barley and many fruits and vegetables.
Twenty participants in the study lived in a laboratory for one month and spent two weeks on a diet. They were allowed to eat as much of the food offered as they wanted; they just ate more when they were on the transformed diet.
Hall noted that there are many popular weight loss diets that demonize nutrients or particular foods. "But they all have in common to limit processed foods," he said.
Eat foods we cook
This study does not prove that's why people can lose weight with their diet, Hall said. But it's food for thought, he says.
Linsenmeyer emphasized that healthy eating is not just about nutrients. "It's also about eating the food we cook, not that we have allowed the food manufacturers to prepare for us."
She and Hall both acknowledged, however, that many people did not have the time, money, or skills to get rid of the processed foods of their lives.
"Just telling people to eat healthier may not be enough if we do not improve access to healthy foods," Hall said.
The study was published online in Cell metabolism.
Image credit: iStock
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