# Effects of Processed Foods on Brain Reward Circuitry and Food Cue Learning

> **NIH NIH R01** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $638,449

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Obesity is the second leading cause of premature death. Consumption of ultra-processed foods is theorized to
be a key cause of obesity. Ultra-processed foods are formulations of cheap industrial sources of dietary energy
and nutrients plus additives such as fat, sugar, and flavors that enhance acceptability of the foods. A cross-
over experiment with overweight adults found that ad lib access to an ultra-processed diet for 2-weeks resulted
in increased caloric intake (508 kcal/day) and more weight gain versus ad lib access to a minimally-processed
diet matched for presented calories, energy density, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber (Hall et al.,
2019). The fact that ad lib access to ultra-processed foods resulted in a large increase in caloric intake and
weight gain implies that ultra-processed foods may more effectively activate brain regions implicated in reward
processing, attention/salience, and memory that influence eating behavior. However, no brain imaging study
has experimentally tested whether ultra-processed foods are more effective in activating brain regions
implicated in reward, attention, and memory than minimally-processed foods or experimentally investigated the
relative role of the elevated caloric density versus the flavor enhancers of ultra-processed foods in driving
greater activation of these brain regions. Preliminary data showed that tastes of ultra-processed high-calorie
chocolate milkshake produced greater activation in regions implicated in reward valuation (caudate, nucleus
accumbens), attention/salience (precuneus), and memory retrieval (medial temporal gyrus, dorsomedial
prefrontal cortex) than tastes of ultra-processed low-calorie chocolate milkshake. Aim 1 is to test the
hypothesis that tastes, anticipated tastes, and images of ultra-processed foods activate reward, attention, and
memory regions more than tastes, anticipated tastes, and images of minimally-processed foods, and evaluate
the relative role of the higher caloric content versus flavor enhancers in engaging these regions using a 2 x 2
experimental design. Aim 2 is to test the hypothesis that ultra-processed versus minimally-processed foods
promote stronger learning of cues that predict tastes of ultra-processed foods (incentive sensitization), which is
important because elevated reward region response to food cues/images increases risk for future weight gain
(Demos et al., 2012; Stice et al., 2015; Yokum et al., 2014). Aim 3 is to test the hypothesis that participants
who show greater activation in reward/attention/memory regions in response to ultra-processed foods will
consume more ultra-processed foods ad lib and show greater future body fat gain, and to establish neural
fingerprints that predict ad lib ultra-processed food intake and body fat gain. Aim 4 is to test the hypothesis that
participants who show stronger reward cue learning in response to ultra-processed foods will consume more
ultra-processed foods ad lib and show greater ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10803186
- **Project number:** 1R01DK136030-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ERIC M STICE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $638,449
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-03-01 → 2029-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10803186

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10803186, Effects of Processed Foods on Brain Reward Circuitry and Food Cue Learning (1R01DK136030-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10803186. Licensed CC0.

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