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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06017986

The Effect of Processing on Food Reward

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Metabolic Diseases Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Age range

18 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

Roanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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).
  • 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.
  • History of alcohol or drug dependence 6. Active neurologic disorder 8. Diagnosed eating disorder 9. Food allergies or restrictive diet

Treatment and study plan

Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal

Other

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

Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal

Other

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

Primary outcomes

  1. Blood glucose response to level of food processing

    Time frame: Immediately post intervention

    Blood glucose concentration will be assessed at baseline and at set time points for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.

  2. Blood insulin response to level of food processing

    Time frame: Immediately post intervention

    Blood insulin concentration will be assessed at baseline and at set time points for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.

  3. Energy expenditure in response to level of food processing

    Time frame: Immediately post intervention

    Whole room indirect calorimetry will be used to determine energy expenditure at baseline and for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.

  4. Respiratory exchange ratio in response to level of food processing

    Time frame: Immediately post intervention

    Whole 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.

  5. Substrate oxidation in response to level of food processing

    Time frame: Immediately post intervention

    Whole room indirect calorimetry will be used to determine substrate oxidation at baseline and for 3 hours after consumption of each condition on different days.

  6. Effect of food processing on food value and encoding

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 3 weeks

    A 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.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Metabolic and Physiological Effects of Processing on Food Reward Encoding

Acronym: PFR

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Aug 30, 2023
Registry last updated
May 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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