Young Adult Eating Habits

NCT05550818 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: 22-253
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 36
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Most individuals with obesity become so before age 35 and adolescent's unhealthy dietary patterns, specifically high intake of ultra-processed foods and poor overall diet quality, may contribute to energy overconsumption and weight gain. The overall objective of this research is to establish proof-of-concept for altered reward processing measured by brain response to ultra-processed foods, an increase in ad libitum energy intake, and adverse effects on executive function in response to an ultra-processed diet (81% total energy) compared to a diet emphasizing minimally processed foods in individuals aged 18-25 years.

Conditions

Eating Behavior; Eating Habit

Keywords

Ultra-processed food; Minimally-processed food; Executive Functioning; Eating Habits; Reward Sensitivity; Brain Activity; fMRI

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Brain Response From Baseline to 2-weeks Post High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  Brain response to milkshake was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). On the first level a contrast of milkshake \> tasteless was built. The measures presented here are the beta values of the milkshake\>tasteless contrast extracted from an orbital frontal cortex apriori region of interest. The pre intervention beta values were subtracted from the post intervention values. Extracted beta values are by definition arbitrary units and are the standard measure for fMRI.

  4 measurements (pre/post 2-week UPF diet, pre/ post 2-week no UPF diet)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Change in Energy Intake From 2 Weeks High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  2 measurements following the 2-week UPF diet (day 15), following the 2-week no UPF diet (day 15)

• Change in Eating Rate From 2 Weeks High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  2 measurements following the 2-week UPF diet (day 15), following the 2-week no UPF diet (day 15)

• Change in Food Items Selected From 2 Weeks High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  2 measurements (following the 2-week UPF diet, following the 2-week no UPF diet)

• Change in Grams of Food Selected From 2 Weeks High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  2 measurements (following the 2-week UPF diet, following the 2-week no UPF diet)

• Change in Amount of Energy (Kcals) Selected From 2 Weeks High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  2 measurements (following the 2-week UPF diet, following the 2-week no UPF diet)

Other Outcomes (4)

• Change in Executive Function From Baseline to 2-weeks Post High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  4 measurements (pre/post 2-week UPF diet, pre/ post 2-week no UPF diet)

• Change in Eating in the Absence of Hunger From Baseline to 2-weeks Post High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  4 measurements (in person and take home portion following the 2-week UPF diet, in person and take home portion following the 2-week no UPF diet)

• Change in Internal State Ratings From 2 Weeks High UPF or 2 Weeks no UPF Diet

  2 measurements (following the 2-week UPF diet, following the 2-week no UPF diet)

Study Arms (2)

High Ultra Processed Food Diet

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will consume a diet containing 81% total energy from UPF for 2 weeks.

Other: High Ultra Processed Food Diet

No Ultra Processed Food Diet

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will consume a diet containing 0% total energy from UPF for 2 weeks.

Other: No Ultra Processed Food Diet

Interventions

High Ultra Processed Food Diet OTHER

Participants will be provided and consume a diet emphasizing UPF (81% energy). Diets will be eucaloric (50% carbohydrate, 35% fat,15% protein) matched for dietary soluble and insoluble fiber, added sugar, mono- and polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, antioxidant nutrients, sodium, and overall diet quality, for 2 weeks.

High Ultra Processed Food Diet

No Ultra Processed Food Diet OTHER

Participants will be provided and consume a diet containing no UPF (0% energy). Diets will be eucaloric (50% carbohydrate, 35% fat,15% protein) matched for dietary soluble and insoluble fiber, added sugar, mono- and polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, antioxidant nutrients, sodium, and overall diet quality, for 2 weeks.

No Ultra Processed Food Diet

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18-25 years
• Weight stable (+5 lbs) for previous 6 months
• No plans to gain/lose weight or change physical activity level
• Willing to pick up food daily and consume foods provided for two 14-day periods
• Verbal and written informed consent
• Unrestrained eater (TFEQ cognitive restraint score \<11)
• No reported history of eating disorders
• Sedentary to recreationally active
• ADHD medications if same med \>3 months at time of study

You may not qualify if:

• BMI \>30 kg/m2
• Endocrine disorders or other major chronic disease (e.g., type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypertension)
• Pregnant or plans to become pregnant
• Food allergies or aversions
• Claustrophobia
• History of head injury with loss of consciousness for more than 10 minutes
• Contraindications to MRI: individuals with pacemaker, aneurysm clips, neurostimulators, cochlear implants, metal in eyes, steel worker, or other implants.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: lead

Study Sites (2)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, United States

Location

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

Roanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Rego MLM, Leslie E, Schmall E, Capra B, Hudson S, Ahrens ML, Katz B, Davy KP, Hedrick VE, DiFeliceantonio AG, Davy BM. The Influence of Ultraprocessed Food Consumption on Energy Intake in Emerging Adulthood: A Controlled Feeding Trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2026 Feb;34(2):344-356. doi: 10.1002/oby.70086. Epub 2025 Nov 19.

  PMID: 41255123 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Feeding Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior, Animal; Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Alexandra DiFeliceantonio
• Organization: Virginia Tech

dife@vt.edu

540-526-2285

Study Officials

• Alexandra G DiFeliceantonio, PhD

  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Brenda M Davy, PhD, RDN

  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: The participants will be blind to what diet is being provided.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 9, 2022
• First Posted: September 22, 2022
• Study Start: March 10, 2023
• Primary Completion: December 15, 2024
• Study Completion: June 10, 2025
• Last Updated: January 12, 2026
• Results First Posted: January 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (2)