Processed Foods & Calorie Boost: Study on Youngsters

Virginia Tech study reveals potential weight gain in youngsters due to increased calorie consumption after a junk food diet. Further research is planned to explore processed food behaviors.

“Although this was [a] short-term trial, if this boost in calorie consumption continues gradually, this might cause weight gain in these youngsters,” said senior writer Brenda Davy, a professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Nourishment, Foods and Workout.

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Brenda Davy and Alex DiFeliceantonio are received the Fralin Biomedical Study Institute at Virginia Technology’s metabolic kitchen area, where researches on food and consuming actions occur. Clayton Metz/Virginia Technology

The younger the participants went to the begin of the research study, the even more buffet treats they fed on after being on the junk food diet plan, said Alex DiFeliceantonio, an assistant professor in Virginia Technology’s Fralin Biomedical Research study Institute.

Brenda Davy and Alex DiFeliceantonio are shown in the Fralin Biomedical Research Study Institute at Virginia Tech’s metabolic kitchen, where research studies on food and eating actions take place. Clayton Metz/Virginia Technology

Carefully Designed Diet Regimens

“We really carefully developed these diet regimens to be matched on 22 attributes, consisting of macronutrients, fiber, added sugar, energy thickness and likewise several vitamins and minerals,” Davy said. “Previous researches had actually not matched diets to this level.”

Future Research Plans

The Virginia Technology group intends to continue to check out processed food behaviors with a larger research population, younger participants, more time invested in the diet regimens and higher access to UPFs to simulate real-world scenarios.

“This is a period normally identified by habits affected by even more ‘bottom-up’ motivational systems, but more research study is needed to comprehend specifically why younger people seemed to consume more after taking in a high UPF diet.”