Matched meals, different short-term metabolic responses

A randomized crossover experiment found different short-term metabolic responses after participants ate ultra-processed and minimally processed meals matched for calories and key nutrients. The results suggest processing may matter beyond what a nutrition label captures, but they do not establish long-term health effects. ^[1]

ScienceAlert reports that 32 participants ate each 300-calorie meal on separate days in randomized order; 57 healthy-weight adults were recruited across the study. Over three hours, blood glucose responses were broadly similar, though glucose stayed elevated longer after the ultra-processed meal. Insulin rose higher and remained elevated for about two hours. ^[1]

The ultra-processed meal was also associated with higher metabolic rate and fat burning, and lower carbohydrate burning during the observation period. The study’s short follow-up and limited meal experiment cannot show whether these differences affect health over time; researchers’ explanations for the results remain hypotheses. ^[1]