{"id":9473,"date":"2025-09-01T16:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T23:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?p=9473"},"modified":"2025-11-18T11:36:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T19:36:28","slug":"why-ultra-processed-foods-upfs-make-us-overeat-and-what-it-means-for-your-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/why-ultra-processed-foods-upfs-make-us-overeat-and-what-it-means-for-your-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Why ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make us overeat, and what it means for your brain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Why ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make us overeat, and what it means for your brain<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Diets high in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are consistently linked to overeating and long-term health risks. Scientific evidence is growing around how processed foods, beyond calories and nutrients, can shape appetite, metabolism, and even brain health. Here, Hussein Yassine, MD, director of USC’s Center for Personalized Brain Health<\/a>, interprets the science and provides you with meaningful steps to take.<\/p>\n

Evidence from a randomized controlled trial<\/h2>\n

A randomized controlled trial<\/a> led by researcher Kevin D. Hall at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) directly tested the impact of UPFs. Twenty healthy adults were divided into two groups, following different diets for 14 days: one ultra-processed, the other unprocessed. All meals were designed to be matched for calories, energy density, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber. The only variable was the degree of processing. Participants could eat as much as they wanted during each phase.<\/p>\n

The results were striking:<\/p>\n