Research
Adherence
Ultraprocessed foods contribute to weight regain and hinder weight loss maintenance by increasing caloric intake and body fat gain, independent of macronutrient composition, due to their palatability and marketing.
Focus on reducing ultraprocessed foods rather than obsessing over macronutrient ratios. Studies show that even when matched for fat, sugar, and fiber, ultraprocessed foods lead to greater calorie intake and fat gain. Prioritizing unprocessed foods supports weight maintenance by reducing the drive to overeat.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
A domiciled cross-over study comparing diets rich in ultraprocessed compared with unprocessed foods, but matched for sodium, sugar, fat, and fiber, showed that a diet high in ultraprocessed food resulted in greater consumption of calories and body fat gain, whereas participants lost body fat when fed an unprocessed diet.
Why this rating
Supported by controlled crossover studies showing increased intake with ultraprocessed foods.
Source
New insights in the mechanisms of weight‐loss maintenance: Summary from a Pennington symposium
Emily W. Flanagan et al. · Obesity · 2023
DOI 10.1002/oby.23905
narrative_reviewCited 34×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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