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The Effect of Processing on Food Reward

Metabolic and Physiological Effects of Processing on Food Reward Encoding

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06017986
Acronym
PFR
Enrollment
57
Registered
2023-08-30
Start date
2023-07-01
Completion date
2026-05-13
Last updated
2026-05-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Metabolic Diseases

Brief summary

The minimally processed diets of our ancestors have been rapidly replaced by UPFs driving poor diet to become the leading risk factor for preventable death globally. Hence, it is essential to understand what properties of UPF are driving their overconsumption to reduce diet-related mortality. To address this gap in knowledge this proposal will test: * If UPFs have a greater post meal metabolic response when compared to MPFs an essential signal for food reward * Through the use of an auction task paradigm if UPFs overvalued and if this value is differentially encoded in the brain This study is a fully cross-over design in that each participant receives all conditions and therefore serves as their own control. All orders of foods will be counterbalanced. Although participants cannot be blinded to the conditions as they must be aware of the foods they are eating, they will not be made aware that the key manipulation is food processing. On different days participants will come to the lab and consume a meal containing either minimally or ultra-processed foods as determined by the widely used NOVA (not an acronym) scale. These conditions will be consumed in a whole room metabolic chamber allowing for simultaneous measurement of multiple metabolic responses (glucose, insulin, and metabolic rate). These measures will be collected for 45 min before consumption of the meal (baseline) and for 3 hours after consumption (post-prandial). All participants will also undergo a Becker-Degroot-Marschak auction paradigm that consists of foods that are either minimally or Ultra-processed in the MRI scanner. Food value will be measure in participants' willingness to pay for each food and Neural responses will be measured during presentation of the food cues.

Interventions

OTHERUltra-processed food - Picture Set Meal

A meal containing ultra-processed foods derived from the picture set used in the Becker-Degroot-Marschak auction paradigm.

OTHERMinimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal

a meal containing minimally processed foods derived from the picture set used in the Becker-Degroot-Marschak auction paradigm.

Sponsors

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Self report BMI between 18.5-24.9 kg/m2 * Not pregnant or planning to become pregnant during study participation Residing in the Roanoke area and/or willing/able to attend sessions at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute * Able to speak and write in English * Participants must be able to see a computer display clearly with or without vision correction (eyeglasses, contacts).

Exclusion criteria

* Claustrophobia (this would make lying in an MRI scanner or indirect calorimetry canopy very uncomfortable). 2\. History of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness for more than 10 minutes 3. Current or past diagnosis of diabetes or metabolic disorder (thyroid disease, etc.) 4. Contraindications to MRI: Individuals with pacemaker, aneurysm clips, neurostimulators, cochlear implants, metal in eyes, steel worker, or other implants. 5\. History of alcohol or drug dependence 6. Active neurologic disorder 8. Diagnosed eating disorder 9. Food allergies or restrictive diet

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Blood glucose response to level of food processingImmediately post interventionBlood glucose concentration will be assessed at baseline and at set time points for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.
Blood insulin response to level of food processingImmediately post interventionBlood insulin concentration will be assessed at baseline and at set time points for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.
Energy expenditure in response to level of food processingImmediately post interventionWhole room indirect calorimetry will be used to determine energy expenditure at baseline and for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.
Respiratory exchange ratio in response to level of food processingImmediately post interventionWhole room indirect calorimetry will be used to determine respiratory exchange ratio at baseline and for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.
Substrate oxidation in response to level of food processingImmediately post interventionWhole room indirect calorimetry will be used to determine substrate oxidation at baseline and for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.
Effect of food processing on food value and encodingthrough study completion, an average of 3 weeksA food picture set of 28 that are matched on 26 visual, perceptual, and nutritional properties but vary on degree of NOVA food processing level will be used in a Becker-Degroot-Marschak auction paradigm to assess participants' brain reward response for each food.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 16, 2026