{"id":14194,"date":"2026-02-18T11:05:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14194"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:05:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:05:57","slug":"study-reveals-processed-foods-cause-overeating-and-slow-fat-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14194","title":{"rendered":"Study Reveals Processed Foods Cause Overeating and Slow Fat Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

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You don\u2019t have to get too far into the research on processed foods to figure out that they slow down our fitness journeys. That\u2019s because the combination of added ingredients such as salt, fat, and a long list of preservatives, play havoc with gut health and have even been linked to osteoarthritis<\/a>. Now, a new study from the University of Bristol has shed light on just how many extra calories you may be consuming by opting for convenience, and why whole foods are a definite winner when it comes to losing weight while still eating more food.<\/p>\n

The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em><\/a>, was the result of valuable teamwork provided by the University of Bristol in the U.K and nutritional experts in the U.S., who found that when we eat a lot of fast or processed foods, our body\u2019s ability to make healthy choices becomes impaired. Apparenty, we all have an innate \u2018nutritional intelligence,\u2019 that serves us well if eating whole foods, but it goes haywire when we opt for processed diets, gorging on empty calories and derailing our fitness goals.<\/p>\n

How Was the Study Carried Out?<\/h2>\n

Individuals with a consistently stable body weight were told to eat separate, two-week diets of both ultra processed and unprocessed meals to assess how these regimes would regulate their overall food choices, meal sizes, and nutrient intake.<\/p>\n

How Ultra-Processed Foods Disrupt Your Body\u2019s Natural Hunger Signals<\/h3>\n

The experts found that people eating a completely unprocessed diet consumed more than 50% more food than those eating only UPF\u2019s, but incredibly, the unprocessed group ate an average of 330 calories less, per day. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see when people are offered unprocessed options, they intuitively select foods that balance enjoyment, nutrition, and a sense of fullness, while still reducing overall energy intake,\u201d said the study\u2019s lead author, Jeff Brunstrom. The results showed that rather than gravitating to higher calorie foods like rice or butter, the unprocessed group chose options such as fruits and vegetables, without a concerted effort to reduce calories.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur dietary choices aren\u2019t random \u2013 in fact we seem to make much smarter decisions than previously assumed, when foods are presented in their natural state,\u201d added Brunstrom<\/a>.\u00a0 Building on earlier work\u00a0 that had found a similar pattern, the team believe that they also uncovered why people eating solely whole foods ate healthier overall. The new study concludes<\/a> that the whole food group were able to make choices that allowed them to reap the benefits of essential vitamins and nutrients, because this behavior reflects a form of nutritional intelligence, which scientists call \u201cmicronutrient deleveraging\u201d while the UPF group ate more calories but received a more negative nutritional profile. This intelligence becomes impaired when eating a processed diet, and people tend to chase energy dense foods.<\/p>\n

\u201cOvereating is not necessarily the core problem,\u201d explained Brunstrom. \u201cBut the nutritional make-up of food is influencing choices, and it seems that UPFs are nudging people towards higher calorie options, which even in much lower quantities are likely to result in excess energy intake and in turn fuel obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever eaten a ton of junk calories from processed foods, only to feel hungry a short while later, this theory may ring true for you. Instead, it\u2019s heartening (and heart healthy) to learn that focusing on whole foods means fuller stomachs, with fewer calories consumed, and better nutrition for our bodies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You don\u2019t have to get too far into the research on processed foods to figure out that they slow down our fitness journeys. That\u2019s because the combination of added ingredients such as salt, fat, and a long list of preservatives, play havoc with gut health and have even been linked to osteoarthritis. Now, a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":14195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14194","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"\nStudy Reveals Processed Foods Cause Overeating and Slow Fat Loss - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14194\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Study Reveals Processed Foods Cause Overeating and Slow Fat Loss - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You don\u2019t have to get too far into the research on processed foods to figure out that they slow down our fitness journeys. 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