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5d ago

Calorie-Matched Trial Links Ultra-Processed Diets to Fat Gain, Hormone Disruption in Men

Higher cxMINP exposure detected in participants prompts calls to revisit dietary guidance.

In the United States and other Western countries, ultraprocessed foods such as potato chips make up an increasingly large percentage of the overall calories that children and adults consume. (Peggy Cormary / For The Washington Post)
A group of young men enjoying a party at a house in North Shields, North East England. They are all socialising together, eating pizza.

Overview

  • The randomized crossover study enrolled 43 men aged 20 to 35 who spent three weeks on an ultra-processed diet and three weeks on a minimally processed diet with a three-month washout.
  • Both diets were matched for total calories and macronutrients, yet the ultra-processed phase led to about 1 kilogram of additional fat mass on average.
  • Men on the ultra-processed plan showed increased levels of the phthalate metabolite cxMINP, a plastics-related chemical known to interfere with hormones.
  • Testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone declined during the ultra-processed phase, raising concerns about reproductive health alongside reported impacts on cardiovascular markers.
  • The peer-reviewed findings, published in Cell Metabolism and led by University of Copenhagen researchers, include author calls to update nutrition guidance while noting the study’s short duration and male-only sample.