In the Spring 2019 issue of NHR, we wrote about the NOVA classification system, a system that organizes processed foods based on their level of processing and recommended place in the diet. The first randomized, controlled trial using the NOVA classification system has since been published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The small study, comprising 20 volunteers, was conducted by the National Institutes of Health and found that when the volunteers were given meals equal in calories and macronutrients, but differing in level of processing, the volunteers who were classification system, a system that organizes processed foods based on their level of processing and recommended place in the diet. The first randomized, controlled trial using the NOVA classification system has since been published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The small study, comprising 20 volunteers, was conducted by the National Institutes of Health and found that when the volunteers were given meals equal in calories and macronutrients, but given the ultra-processed foods ate more calories than the volunteers given the minimally processed foods.

SOURCE: NIH study finds heavily processed foods cause overeating and weight gain [news release]. National Institutes of Health; May 16, 2019. Available at: https://www. nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-finds-heavily-processed-foods-cause- overeating-weight-gain. Accessed June 4, 2019. NHR