Changes in Ultra-Processed Food Intake During a Single-Arm Behavioral Weight Management Intervention: A Secondary Analysis.

Abstract

Increasing evidence links ultra-processed food (UPF) intake to obesity and related diseases; however, little is known about the role of UPF in behavioral weight-loss interventions (BWLIs). Thus, the current study investigated whether UPF intake changes during a BWLI and whether these changes are associated with weight-loss outcomes. A total of 449 adults with obesity (mean ± SD age = 49.5 ± 11.4 years, BMI = 35.7 ± 4.0 kg/m², 83.5% female, 23.4% Black/African American, 9.8% Hispanic) completed a 16-week BWLI. Using dietary intake data collected via the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24), we examined (1) changes in caloric intake and the proportion of calories from UPFs from baseline to post-intervention and (2) associations between these changes and weight loss, overall and adjusting for caloric intake. Participants demonstrated reductions in calorie intake (-461 ± 931 kcal/day), UPF intake (-3.0% ± 2.8% of total energy), and body weight (-7.2 ± 7.6 kg) over the BWLI, ps < 0.001. Greater reductions in UPFs were associated with greater decreases in caloric intake (r = 0.10) and greater weight loss (r = 0.08, ps < 0.001), even after adjusting for changes in caloric intake (p = 0.005); however, effect sizes were small. UPF intake decreased during the BWLI, and greater reductions were associated with greater weight loss, independent of caloric changes, though small effect sizes warrant cautious interpretation. Future research should examine whether targeting UPF reduction in a BWLI enhances weight outcomes. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04116853.