ClinicalTrials.Veeva

Menu

The Effect of Processing on Food Reward (PFR)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University logo

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Metabolic Diseases

Treatments

Other: Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Ingredients Meal

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06017986
21-1052

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment

74 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 45 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • 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).

    1. 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.

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

Trial design

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Crossover Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

74 participants in 6 patient groups

Stimulus: UPF1
Experimental group
Description:
In a whole room metabolic chamber participants will consume a \~300 kcal meal consisting of ultra-processed foods as determined by the widely used NOVA scale. The whole room metabolic chamber will allow for collection of simultaneous measurement of multiple metabolic responses (glucose, insulin, and metabolic rate). Measures will be collected for 45 min before consumption of the meal (baseline) and for 3 hours after consumption (post-prandial).
Treatment:
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Additives Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal
Stimulus: UPF2
Experimental group
Description:
In a whole room metabolic chamber participants will consume a \~300 kcal meal consisting of ultra-processed foods as determined by the widely used NOVA scale. The whole room metabolic chamber will allow for collection of simultaneous measurement of multiple metabolic responses (glucose, insulin, and metabolic rate). Measures will be collected for 45 min before consumption of the meal (baseline) and for 3 hours after consumption (post-prandial).
Treatment:
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Additives Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal
Stimulus: UPF3
Experimental group
Description:
In a whole room metabolic chamber participants will consume a \~300 kcal meal consisting of ultra-processed foods as determined by the widely used NOVA scale. The whole room metabolic chamber will allow for collection of simultaneous measurement of multiple metabolic responses (glucose, insulin, and metabolic rate). Measures will be collected for 45 min before consumption of the meal (baseline) and for 3 hours after consumption (post-prandial).
Treatment:
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Additives Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal
Stimulus: MPF1
Active Comparator group
Description:
In a whole room metabolic chamber participants will consume a \~300 kcal meal consisting of minimally processed foods as determined by the widely used NOVA scale. The whole room metabolic chamber will allow for collection of simultaneous measurement of multiple metabolic responses (glucose, insulin, and metabolic rate). Measures will be collected for 45 min before consumption of the meal (baseline) and for 3 hours after consumption (post-prandial).
Treatment:
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Additives Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal
Stimulus: MPF2
Active Comparator group
Description:
In a whole room metabolic chamber participants will consume a \~300 kcal meal consisting of minimally processed foods as determined by the widely used NOVA scale. The whole room metabolic chamber will allow for collection of simultaneous measurement of multiple metabolic responses (glucose, insulin, and metabolic rate). Measures will be collected for 45 min before consumption of the meal (baseline) and for 3 hours after consumption (post-prandial).
Treatment:
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Additives Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal
Stimulus: MPF3
Active Comparator group
Description:
In a whole room metabolic chamber participants will consume a \~300 kcal meal consisting of minimally processed foods as determined by the widely used NOVA scale. The whole room metabolic chamber will allow for collection of simultaneous measurement of multiple metabolic responses (glucose, insulin, and metabolic rate). Measures will be collected for 45 min before consumption of the meal (baseline) and for 3 hours after consumption (post-prandial).
Treatment:
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Picture Set Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Ingredients Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Additives Meal
Other: Ultra-processed food - Additives Meal
Other: Minimally Processed Food - Picture Set Meal

Trial contacts and locations

1

Loading...

Central trial contact

Alexandra G DiFeliceantonio, PhD; Zach Hutelin

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

Clinical trials

Find clinical trialsTrials by location
© Copyright 2026 Veeva Systems