Processed food shock: study reveals how your lunch hijacks stress hormones
NCT ID NCT06724692
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at how eating ultra-processed versus unprocessed foods changes the body's stress hormone (cortisol) levels. Twenty healthy men ate two different meals with the same calories and nutrients, and researchers measured their blood cortisol and other metabolic markers. The goal was simply to understand the body's immediate response, not to treat or prevent any disease.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Males aged 18 to 40 years * BMI 18.5-29.9 kg/m2 Exclusion Criteria: * Severe acute or chronic disease * Lactose intolerance * Severe food allergy * Casual smoking (more than six cigarettes per day) * Frequent, heavy alcohol consumption (more than 30g/day) * Frequent, heavy caffeine consumption (more than 4 caffeinated drinks/day) * Regular physical exercise (more than 4hrs per week) * Shift work * Previous enrollment in a clinical trial within the past two months * Intake of any steroid-containing drugs, including topical steroids and inhalers, within four weeks of the study initiation * Contradictions to undergo the investigated intervention * Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospital Basel
Basel, Canton of Basel-City, 4031, Switzerland
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