Status:

RECRUITING

Ultra Crave: An Investigation of Ultra-Processed Food

Lead Sponsor:

University of Michigan

Collaborating Sponsors:

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Oregon Research Institute

Conditions:

Food Addiction

Eligibility:

All Genders

22-60 years

Phase:

NA

Brief Summary

This study experimentally investigates whether a reduction in ultra-processed (UP) food intake (1) causes aversive withdrawal symptoms in humans, (2) increases the motivational salience of UP food cue...

Detailed Description

The study will include a combination of in-person, at-home, and virtual activities over the course of \~14 days (contingent on scheduling, this duration may vary and particularly between in-person vis...

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

  • 22 to 60 years of age
  • English-speaking
  • Must own an Android or iPhone Smartphone
  • Live within a 1-hour radius of the laboratory
  • endorsement of \> 4 symptoms on the YFAS 2.0 completed during eligibility screener; at the time of consent, symptom count must remain above threshold for food addiction (this discrepany is based on a previously found tendency during pilot testing to overestimate food addiction symptoms at the time of screening)
  • Willing and able to follow specific dietary instructions provided by the study team
  • Willing and able to attend 3 in-person lab visits
  • Willing to complete 4 phone interviews about foods eaten in the past 24 hours
  • Willing to report daily intake of food
  • Like the taste of chocolate milkshake (for fMRI scan eligibility only).

Exclusion

  • participants with a self-reported BMI \< 18.5 and \> 40
  • Current diagnosis of disorder that may impact study results or the ability to safely complete study tasks (hypothyroidism (uncontrolled by medication), diabetes, etc.)
  • History of food allergies
  • Unable to respond to brief questionnaires within 90-minutes during the day
  • Work night shifts or irregular shifts
  • Restrictive dietary requirements (e.g., vegan) or high levels of picky eating
  • Medications (e.g., insulin, antipsychotic medications) that may impact study results or safe completion of study tasks
  • Diagnosis of severe mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)
  • Diagnosis of a restrictive eating disorder (e.g., Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, purging disorder) within the last 5 years
  • Current diagnoses of disorders that can impact reward/metabolic functioning
  • 20+ pound weight fluctuation in the last 3-months
  • Prior weight loss surgery (e.g., bariatric surgery)
  • Currently pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or within 6-months of having given birth
  • High levels or high-risk intake of alcohol or caffeine
  • Use of tobacco or nicotine in the past month
  • Use of THC cannabis within the past week
  • Unwillingness to abstain from THC cannabis, tobacco or nicotine during the main portion of the study (\~22 days)
  • fMRI contraindications (e.g., claustrophobia, metal implants).
  • inability to complete a random report within 90 minutes

Key Trial Info

Start Date :

August 5 2023

Trial Type :

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation :

ESTIMATED

End Date :

August 5 2028

Estimated Enrollment :

210 Patients enrolled

Trial Details

Trial ID

NCT06044285

Start Date

August 5 2023

End Date

August 5 2028

Last Update

May 14 2025

Active Locations (1)

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1

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109