Study Reveals What Could Happen to Your Body When You Eat Fewer Ultra-Processed Foods Here's how their bodies changed
In a new study, participants saw major health improvements when they cut out half of the ultra-processed foods in their diets
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- In a small study, cutting ultra-processed foods consumption in half led to significant health benefits, including more energy and an average weight loss of nearly 8 pounds.
- Eating fewer ultra-processed foods may also lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health conditions in the long-term.
- Experts said small changes like prioritizing whole foods, reading labels, and cooking at home can make it easier to cut back on ultra-processed foods.
It’s no secret that what you eat impacts your health. But now, thanks to a new study, we have a better idea of how eating ultra-processed foods affects the body—and what happens when you cut them out of your diet.
The researchers found that study participants saw significant improvements in their health—including having more energy and losing an average of 7.7 pounds—after they reduced the number of ultraprocessed foods they ate by almost 50%.
The study was published in December in the journal Obesity Science and Practice.
Ultra-processed foods account for 60% of the average American’s diet, and include things like sweet and savory snacks, processed meats, packaged frozen entrées, instant soups, and sweetened beverages, said Sapana Shah, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor of medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and internist at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.
“Highly processed foods are often calorie-dense, higher in refined grains, sugar, saturated fat, and salt, and lower in fiber and other important nutrients,” she told Health.
They contain little to no whole foods, and instead are packed with additives such as artificial flavors, preservatives, emulsifiers, and sodium, added Tamar Samuels, RD, a registered dietitian and co-founder of Culina Health.
But despite the ubiquity of ultra-processed foods, this study shows that people were able to reduce their intake and see a variety of health benefits as a result.
Here’s what experts had to say about the new research, plus what you need to know about how to reduce the amount of ultra-processed foods in your diet.
How Can Eating Fewer Ultra-Processed Foods Impact Your Health?
To determine how reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods affects a person’s health, a team of researchers recruited 14 adults who ate at least two ultra-processed foods a day.
They participated in an eight-week diet program, which consisted of education about ultra-processed foods, meal planning sessions, strategies to address cravings, financial support for purchasing healthier foods, and collaboration with other adults in the household to improve participants’ home environments.
The participants also completed three self-administered surveys on their dietary intake before and after the intervention.
“The primary goal of this study was to test how well-received and effective a specific program was for reducing ultra-processed food intake,” said study co-author Charlotte Hagerman, PhD, assistant research professor at Drexel University. “That said, we observed significant health improvements when people reduced their ultra-processed food intake by half.”
By the end of the program, the participants ate 600 fewer calories each day on average. They also decreased their sugar consumption by 50%, their saturated fat consumption by 37%, and their sodium consumption by 28%.
Study participants also reported other health benefits, including better skin, less swelling in their limbs, improved mood, and more energy.
Despite evidence that eating fewer ultra-processed foods leads to better health, U.S. nutrition guidelines currently don’t make any specific mention of the need to reduce consumption. This is likely due to inference from food industry lobbyists, Hagerman said.
“Because of this, there have been almost no evidence-based programs designed specifically to help people reduce their ultra-processed food intake in the U.S.,” she told Health. “There is a huge need for effective interventions for this purpose."
Hagerman and her colleagues’ study is just a jumping off point—it’s a “pilot study,” where researchers can “test a new intervention with a small group of people to see how well it works,” she explained.
More research—and eventually guideline changes—are needed in the future, but for now, the “results were very promising,” said Hagerman. “Behavioral programs can help people reduce their ultra-processed food intake by a large amount, at least for a short time.”
Fewer Ultra-Processed Foods Likely Means Other Long-Term Health Benefits, Too
Though the new Obesity Science and Practice study focuses on some of the short-term effects of reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods—including weight loss—experts agreed making this dietary switch could have more long-lasting health impacts, too.
Much of the existing research on the impact of eating ultra-processed foods focuses on their link to certain chronic conditions.
A 2024 umbrella review of previous studies found that eating ultra-processed foods could increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
And another systematic review published last year found that eating ultra-processed foods was associated with a number of adverse health metrics, including increased risks of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular events, and anxiety.
“This suggests if we were to reduce ultra-processed foods from our diets, our risk of these adverse health outcomes would be reduced,” Shah said. “Reducing or eliminating ultra-processed foods results in a reduced risk of cardiometabolic disease and mental health disorders.”
How to Cut Back on Ultra-Processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods are often cheaper and more accessible than healthier alternatives, plus they can be addictive. That means reducing your consumption isn’t always easy.
So start by making gradual changes, Samuels recommended. “Instead of eliminating all ultra-processed foods at once, slowly reduce intake to create sustainable habits,” she said.
To reduce your intake, focus on eating whole foods whenever you can, said Samuels.
“Prioritize fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, and seeds,” she said. “Aim for half your plate to be produce with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
Additionally, get in the habit of reading food labels so you can identify when you’re eating ultra-processed foods. You can also rely on online tools to help you avoid the most highly-processed products at the grocery store.
In general, “avoid foods with long ingredient lists containing unfamiliar additives,” said Samuels.
Cooking at home is another helpful strategy, Samuels added, since it gives you “better control over ingredients.”
And because ultra-processed foods are often the ones that are most convenient, it’s important to be prepared, said David Kahana, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist and physician formulator at 1MD Nutrition.
“Plan your meals in advance and pack a lunch in order to avoid getting so hungry that you make bad choices and reach for the vending machine,” he told Health.
Finally, always be sure to stay hydrated. “Sometimes, cravings for ultra-processed [food stems] from dehydration rather than hunger,” Samuels said.
Julia Landwehr
Julia is a news reporter and editor for Health, where she covers breaking and trending news on health and wellness topics. Her work has been featured in The Heights, an independent student newspaper at Boston College, and Minnesota Monthly.
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This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Elizabeth Yuko, PhD
