Alice Callahan

And there wasn't really anything to this ultra-processed concept affecting people's food consumption or health. But what he found shocked him and shocked, I think, a lot of people. He found that while people were on the ultra-processed diet, they gained two pounds in two weeks. And they ate 500 more calories per day than they did when they were on the unprocessed diet without even realizing it.

And there wasn't really anything to this ultra-processed concept affecting people's food consumption or health. But what he found shocked him and shocked, I think, a lot of people. He found that while people were on the ultra-processed diet, they gained two pounds in two weeks. And they ate 500 more calories per day than they did when they were on the unprocessed diet without even realizing it.

Like they had no idea that they had consumed more food. So it's a short-term study. You don't know if that amount of sort of overconsumption of calories and weight gain might continue if the study went longer than that. But in that short amount of time, you see this really striking difference in how people responded to these very different types of meals.

Like they had no idea that they had consumed more food. So it's a short-term study. You don't know if that amount of sort of overconsumption of calories and weight gain might continue if the study went longer than that. But in that short amount of time, you see this really striking difference in how people responded to these very different types of meals.

It was very clear that people ate more calories than they needed when they were served these ultra-processed meals.

It was very clear that people ate more calories than they needed when they were served these ultra-processed meals.

We don't. Kevin Hall is currently conducting a second trial to try to tease that out. And he's testing a few different ideas. One goes back to that hyperpalatability concept. So maybe it's the fact that these foods are more likely to have these pairs of nutrients that light up our brains in rewarding ways and want us to come back healthy. and consume more.

We don't. Kevin Hall is currently conducting a second trial to try to tease that out. And he's testing a few different ideas. One goes back to that hyperpalatability concept. So maybe it's the fact that these foods are more likely to have these pairs of nutrients that light up our brains in rewarding ways and want us to come back healthy. and consume more.

Another is that ultra-processed foods tend to sort of like pack more calories in per bite. And so you might just subconsciously consume more of them because they kind of take up less space in your gut than an unprocessed food. If you can make ultra-processed foods that aren't hyper-palatable and don't pack as many calories in per bite, then people do seem to consume less of them.

Another is that ultra-processed foods tend to sort of like pack more calories in per bite. And so you might just subconsciously consume more of them because they kind of take up less space in your gut than an unprocessed food. If you can make ultra-processed foods that aren't hyper-palatable and don't pack as many calories in per bite, then people do seem to consume less of them.

So that's giving us some hints as to what is going on.

So that's giving us some hints as to what is going on.

Yeah, that certainly seems to be the case. And there's another thing about ultra processed foods that I think scientists worry about, and many of us worry about too, is that they contain all of these ingredients that we can't pronounce. And, you know, it turns out many of them, we don't have a great grasp on how they affect our bodies.

Yeah, that certainly seems to be the case. And there's another thing about ultra processed foods that I think scientists worry about, and many of us worry about too, is that they contain all of these ingredients that we can't pronounce. And, you know, it turns out many of them, we don't have a great grasp on how they affect our bodies.

You know, we have like some small studies that show, for example, that Artificial food dyes maybe affect children's behavior. Artificial sweeteners maybe change our microbiomes. You know, some of these other ingredients maybe increase inflammation levels in our bodies. This is really emerging science, but it kind of adds to the sort of accumulated concerns about these industrially made foods.

You know, we have like some small studies that show, for example, that Artificial food dyes maybe affect children's behavior. Artificial sweeteners maybe change our microbiomes. You know, some of these other ingredients maybe increase inflammation levels in our bodies. This is really emerging science, but it kind of adds to the sort of accumulated concerns about these industrially made foods.

Sorry, Sabrina.

Sorry, Sabrina.

That's another great question. I mean, nutrition science has been chronically kind of notoriously underfunded by the government. So a lot of nutrition research actually ends up being sponsored by food companies and industry groups themselves. You can imagine that this has not been top of the list for food companies to investigate these effects.

That's another great question. I mean, nutrition science has been chronically kind of notoriously underfunded by the government. So a lot of nutrition research actually ends up being sponsored by food companies and industry groups themselves. You can imagine that this has not been top of the list for food companies to investigate these effects.