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People consume fewer calories when eating high-protein ultra-processed foods than when eating other ultra-processed products. But they still tend to overeat, suggesting highly processed, protein-enriched snacks should only be consumed in moderation.

Numerous studies have shown ultra-processed foods are linked with a greater risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions. It isn鈥檛 clear why that is, but one explanation is that these products encourage people to overeat, potentially because they are high in fats and sugar, or because they are less filling.

鈥淲e need to understand how to improve processing and formulation of food in order to prevent overeating,鈥� says at the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel in Germany. 鈥淎 high protein content may contribute to this goal.鈥�

Protein is more filling and requires more energy to break down than other nutrients. So, Bosy-Westphal and her colleagues developed two diets, both with 85 per cent of their calories provided by ultra-processed foods. However, one diet contained 30 per cent protein and 29 per cent carbohydrates while the other contained just 13 per cent protein and 46 per cent carbohydrates, with the differences mostly due to the protein and calorie content of the ultra-processed foods. The amounts of all other nutrients were roughly the same.

Twenty-one adults without underlying health conditions followed each diet for 54 hours, with a four day break in between. Participants were confined to a sealed room when on the diets, so researchers could calculate how many calories they burned based on their oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. The room had a bed, sink, toilet, desk and treadmill. Participants were permitted only light physical activity to ensure consistency across the study 鈥� and also because there was no shower.

On average, participants consumed nearly 200 fewer calories and burned 130 more calories a day on the high-protein ultra-processed food diet than on the standard ultra-processed food diet. Yet, they still ate about 20 per cent more calories than they burned. 鈥淭hat means a high protein content in ultra-processed foods reduces, but does not prevent, overeating,鈥� says Bosy-Westphal.

However, we can鈥檛 say for sure participants truly overate, says at Cornell University in New York, given that people tend to compensate after eating a heavy meal by eating less over the next few days. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 really know what the long-term effects of this diet would be, if you extend it beyond those 54 hours.鈥� Participants may have also eaten a bit more out of boredom given they were confined to a sealed room, he says.

Still, these findings are an important step towards improving our understanding of ultra-processed foods, says at the University of Kansas. 鈥淭hese are a really heterogeneous group of foods,鈥� she says, noting that this study suggests some of them may induce overeating more than others, but that there are other factors beyond nutrient composition at play.