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Ultraprocessed or minimally processed diets following healthy dietary guidelines on weight and cardiometabolic health: a randomized, crossover trial
Samuel James Dicken, Friedrich C. Jassil, Adrian Carl Brown, Monika Kalis, Chloe Stanley, Chaniqua Ranson, Tapiwa Ruwona, Sulmaaz Qamar et al.. Nature Medicine, 2025-08-04
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption is associated with noncommunicable disease risk, yet no trial has assessed its health impact within the context of national dietary guidelines. In a 2 × 2 crossover randomized controlled feeding trial, 55 adults in England (body mass index ≥25 to <40 kg m −2 , habitual UPF intake ≥50% kcal day −1 ) were provided with two 8-week ad libitum diets following the UK Eatwell Guide: (1) minimally processed food (MPF) and (2) UPF, in a random order. Twenty-eight people were randomized to MPF then UPF, and 27 to UPF then MPF; 50 participants comprised the intention-to-treat sample. The primary outcome was the within-participant difference in percent weight change (%WC) between diets, from baseline to week 8. Participants were blinded to the primary outcome. MPF (%WC, −2.06 (95% confidence interval (CI), −2.99, −1.13) and UPF (%WC, −1.05 (95% CI, −1.98, −0.13)) resulted in weight loss, with significantly greater %WC on MPF (Δ%WC, −1.01 (95% CI, −1.87, −0.14), P = 0.024; Cohen’s d , −0.48 (95% CI, −0.91, −0.06)). Mild gastrointestinal adverse events were common on both diets. Findings indicate greater weight loss on MPF than UPF diets and needing dietary guidance on food processing in addition to existing recommendations. Clinicaltrials.gov registration: NCT05627570 .
Key findings
- Abstract Ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption is associated with noncommunicable disease risk, yet no trial has assessed its health impact within the context of national dietary guidelines.
- MPF (%WC, −2.06 (95% confidence interval (CI), −2.99, −1.13) and UPF (%WC, −1.05 (95% CI, −1.98, −0.13)) resulted in weight loss, with significantly greater %WC on MPF (Δ%WC, −1.01 (95% CI, −1.87, −0.14), P = 0.024; Cohen’s d , −0.48 (95% CI, −0.91, −0.06)).
Why it matters
This randomized crossover feeding trial is about weight and cardiometabolic health, not Alzheimer's disease, and reports no findings on dementia. It found that a minimally processed diet following UK dietary guidelines led to greater weight loss than an ultraprocessed diet.
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Study details
- Participants55
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 69/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Nature Medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Nature Medicine: journal h-index 763 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 55 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 2 / 2 | Randomised and blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 114 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 38.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 96.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 114 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Rachel Louise Batterham: h-index 81 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 13 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40760353) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 69 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03842-0
- PubMed: 40760353
- Original source →
- Free full text: Nature Medicine →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Dicken, S. J., Jassil, F. C., Brown, A. C., Kalis, M., Stanley, C., Ranson, C., et al. (2025). Ultraprocessed or minimally processed diets following healthy dietary guidelines on weight and cardiometabolic health: a randomized, crossover trial. Nature Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03842-0
Vancouver
Dicken SJ, Jassil FC, Brown AC, Kalis M, Stanley C, Ranson C, et al. Ultraprocessed or minimally processed diets following healthy dietary guidelines on weight and cardiometabolic health: a randomized, crossover trial. Nature Medicine. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41591-025-03842-0. PMID: 40760353.
BibTeX
@article{dicken2025-40760353,
author = {Dicken, Samuel James and Jassil, Friedrich C. and Brown, Adrian Carl and Kalis, Monika and Stanley, Chloe and Ranson, Chaniqua and Ruwona, Tapiwa and Qamar, Sulmaaz and others},
title = {{Ultraprocessed or minimally processed diets following healthy dietary guidelines on weight and cardiometabolic health: a randomized, crossover trial}},
journal = {Nature Medicine},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1038/s41591-025-03842-0},
pmid = {40760353},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03842-0}
}
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