A new study highlights the benefits of cutting down on food processing when aiming for weight loss, revealing that diets based on minimally processed foods can lead to significantly greater reductions in weight.
For the first time, researchers at University College London (UCL) designed and conducted a study that compared nutritionally matched diets of minimally processed foods (MPF) and ultra-processed foods (UPF).
Published in ‘Nature Medicine’, the findings showed participants lost twice as much weight on the MPF diet as on the UPF diet.
“The primary outcome of the trial was to assess percentage changes in weight, and on both diets, we saw a significant reduction, but the effect was nearly double on the minimally processed diet,” explained Dr Samuel Dicken, lead author from UCL’s Centre for Obesity Research.
The researchers divided 55 adults into two groups for the trial.
- One began with an eight-week MPF diet, featuring meals like overnight oats and homemade spaghetti Bolognese, followed by a four-week break before switching to a UPF diet that included items such as oat bars and ready-made lasagne.
- The second group completed the diets in the reverse order.
A total of 50 participants completed at least one of the dietary phases.
Results Show Clear Advantage for MPF Diet
At the end of each eight-week diet, both groups had lost weight, likely due to the improved quality of food compared to their regular diets.
However, weight loss was more pronounced with the MPF diet, showing a 2.06% reduction versus 1.05% for the UPF diet.
Researchers noted that the MPF diet led to reductions in fat mass and total body water without affecting muscle or fat-free mass, indicating a healthier shift in body composition.
Additionally, those on the MPF diet experienced significantly better control over food cravings.
Participants reported twice the overall improvement in craving control, four times greater improvement for savoury cravings, and nearly double the ability to resist their most craved foods compared to the UPF diet.
Professor Chris van Tulleken, from UCL’s Division of Infection and Immunity, commented, “The study underlines the need to shift the policy focus away from individual responsibility and on to the environmental drivers of obesity, such as the influence of multinational food companies in shaping unhealthy food environments.”
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