Clinical trial

Biobehavioral Reward Responses Associated With Consumption of Nutritionally Diverse Ultra-Processed Foods

Recruiting now · Not applicable · 1 countries · Registry ID NCT05437809

Recruiting nowNot applicableInterventional

What this study is about

The changing food environment, with increasingly abundant ultra-processed food (UPF) options, may directly contribute to rising rates of obesity, though it is unknown which ingredients in UPF elevate their reinforcing nature in a way that may lead to overconsumption. The proposed study is the first to systematically examine differences in the rewarding characteristics of and physiological and metabolic responses to UPFs that are high in fat, refined carbohydrates (like sugar), or both. Understanding the biobehavioral underpinnings that enhance the reinforcing potential of ingredients in UPF (e.g., fat vs. refined carbohydrates) can inform novel intervention targets for the treatment of overeating and obesity.

A promising-looking record is not the same as confirmed eligibility. The study team must review the full criteria and current recruitment status.

Basic eligibility

Age18 Years to 65 Years
SexAll
Healthy volunteersNot accepted
ConditionObesity, Overeating, Food Addiction

Full registry criteria

Inclusion Criteria Men and women Age 18-65 years BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 Endorse liking the foods included in the compulsory test snacks at a 6 on a scale from 1-10 No history of severe psychiatric illness; current mild to moderate severity of depression, anxiety, or binge eating disorder, determined by the behavioral evaluation and the screening measures will be included Live in the greater Springfield, Oregon area and are willing/able to participate in six in-person assessments Can access and are willing/able to use a smartphone Exclusion Criteria Medical condition that may limit consumption of compulsory test snack foods or impact metabolic responses to food consumption Type I or II diabetes (HbA1c \> 6.5 based on blood test) Uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mm Hg) Cardiovascular event (e.g., stroke, myocardial infarction) in the last 12 months Individuals with dietary allergies of aversions to the test snack foods Individuals taking medications that may influence the metabolic responses of interest (e.g., metformin) Individuals who are actively pursuing weight loss or have lost ≥ 5% of their initial weight in the last 6 months Severe symptoms of mood, anxiety, and any severity of thought disorders Severe binge eating disorder or full criteria bulimia Persons with active substance-use disorders Current, active suicidal ideation, and/or a suicide attempt within the past year History of bariatric surgery Women who are nursing, pregnant, or planning to become pregnant in the next three months Self-report current diagnosis of a transferrable blood condition (including HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or syphilis) Self-report prior history of being dizzy or anxious during blood draws and/or technician not being able to find a vein.

Treatments and study arms

Intake of nutritionally diverse ultra-processed foods

Other

All participants will attend four food consumption assessment visits where, at each visit, they will be asked to consume a standardized snack portion of: 1) ultra-processed foods (UPFs) high in both fat and refined carbohydrates (UPF+FRC), 2) UPF high in fat (UPF+F), 3) UPF high in refined carbohydrates (white flour, sugar) (UPF+RC), or 4) minimally processed foods. The order of the four food consumption assessment visits will be randomized and counterbalanced across participants, who will each consume all the test snacks across the four appointments.

Primary outcomes

Subjective reward responses to food intake (in lab)10 minutes before intake of test snack, during, and 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120 minutes after intake of the test snack.

Indicators of subjective reward (craving, palatability, hedonic hunger, and mood) will be assessed by participants' self-reports before, during, and after consumption of the test snack at each of the four food consumption appointments. Each facet of subjective reward will be assessed by 100-point visual analog scales ranging from 0-100.

Subjective reward responses to food intake (EMA)EMA surveys administered over 5 days following each food consumption assessment (20 total days of EMA data)

Indicators of subjective reward (craving, palatability, hedonic hunger, and mood) will be assessed by participants' self-reports in EMA surveys. Each facet of subjective reward will be assessed by 100-point visual analog scales ranging from 0-100.

Ad libitum consumption2 hours after test snack intake at each food consumption assessment.

Total number of calories consumed from the test snack food during a 15-minute eating period. Calories will calculated by measuring bowls containing the test snacks before and after participant consumption on a digital scale accurate to 0.01 grams. The difference in grams will be converted into the calories that the participant ate.

Daily calorie intake (EMA)EMA surveys administered over 5 days following each food consumption assessment (20 total days of EMA data)

Calorie intake will be derived from participants' self-reported food consumption in EMA surveys.

Consumption of UPFs and MPFs (EMA)EMA surveys administered over 5 days following each food consumption assessment (20 total days of EMA data)

Trained study staff will calculate the percentage of participants' daily calories from the four food categories (UPF+FRC, UPF+F, UPF+RC, MPF) based on participants' self-reported food consumption in EMA surveys.

Study locations

1 locations were listed when this page was built. The first 40 are shown.

Drexel University🇺🇸 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Erica M LaFata, PhDContact