Study finds minimally processed meals lead to greater weight loss than ultraprocessed foods
Shreeaa Rathi | Aug 04, 2025, 19:34 IST
( Image credit : TIL Creatives )
A fascinating new study from the UK highlights the benefits of home cooking. It found that individuals who prepared meals at home lost twice as much weight compared to those who opted for healthy ultraprocessed foods.
A new study reveals that eating minimally processed meals leads to twice the weight loss compared to eating "healthy" ultraprocessed foods. Researchers in the UK studied 55 overweight people for eight weeks. They found that people lost more weight eating home-cooked meals. This happened even when the ultraprocessed foods met standard nutritional guidelines.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, gave participants either minimally processed or ultraprocessed meals. People on the minimally processed diet lost 2% of their baseline weight in eight weeks. Researchers estimate this could become a 13% reduction for men and a 9% reduction for women over a year. Minimally processed foods are whole foods cooked at home. Ultraprocessed foods have additives and undergo lots of factory processing.
Dr. Kevin Hall, a study coauthor, said the research is the "largest and longest randomized controlled clinical trial of ultraprocessed foods to date." Another expert, Christopher Gardner, said researchers "tried to make a healthy ultraprocessed diet." They picked foods with fruits, veggies, fiber, and less salt, sugar, and saturated fats.
Interestingly, people on the ultraprocessed diet ate 120 fewer calories a day. People on the minimally processed diet ate 290 fewer calories a day. Marion Nestle, a nutrition expert, said people might have found the "healthy" minimally processed meals less tasty.
The study also found that people on the minimally processed diet had lower levels of triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood. Surprisingly, "bad" cholesterol was reduced more on the ultra-processed diet.
Hall suggests that when ultraprocessed foods have fewer calories and are less tempting, it can offset some negative effects. Gardner advises people to "follow the national guidelines for nutrient quality." He also recommends reading food labels and choosing foods low in salt, fat, sugar, and calories.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, gave participants either minimally processed or ultraprocessed meals. People on the minimally processed diet lost 2% of their baseline weight in eight weeks. Researchers estimate this could become a 13% reduction for men and a 9% reduction for women over a year. Minimally processed foods are whole foods cooked at home. Ultraprocessed foods have additives and undergo lots of factory processing.
Dr. Kevin Hall, a study coauthor, said the research is the "largest and longest randomized controlled clinical trial of ultraprocessed foods to date." Another expert, Christopher Gardner, said researchers "tried to make a healthy ultraprocessed diet." They picked foods with fruits, veggies, fiber, and less salt, sugar, and saturated fats.
Interestingly, people on the ultraprocessed diet ate 120 fewer calories a day. People on the minimally processed diet ate 290 fewer calories a day. Marion Nestle, a nutrition expert, said people might have found the "healthy" minimally processed meals less tasty.
The study also found that people on the minimally processed diet had lower levels of triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood. Surprisingly, "bad" cholesterol was reduced more on the ultra-processed diet.
Hall suggests that when ultraprocessed foods have fewer calories and are less tempting, it can offset some negative effects. Gardner advises people to "follow the national guidelines for nutrient quality." He also recommends reading food labels and choosing foods low in salt, fat, sugar, and calories.