Question 1

Why does ultra-processed food make you eat more?

Accepted Answer

A tightly controlled NIH study found people ate 508 extra calories a day on ultra-processed diets even when sugar, fat, fibre and salt were matched. The main driver was eating speed: soft, dense processed food is swallowed faster than the gut can signal fullness.

Question 2

How long does it take your brain to feel full after eating?

Accepted Answer

Fullness signals take roughly twenty minutes to fully reach the brain, carried by hormones like PYY and GLP-1. Eating quickly means you can finish a meal and overshoot before that satiety message ever arrives.

Question 3

What did the 2019 Kevin Hall ultra-processed food study find?

Accepted Answer

In a four-week NIH crossover trial, twenty adults ate 508 more calories per day and gained nearly a kilogram on ultra-processed diets versus whole-food diets that were matched for calories and nutrients, despite eating freely on both.

ultra-processed-food

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The Speed at Which You Eat