National Institutes of Health-Supported Research on Ultraprocessed Foods

Evidence continues to mount that ultraprocessed food (UPFs) may contribute to diet-related chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and some cancers. In the US, these conditions account for over 1 million deaths each year and cost the economy over $1.1 trillion in health care costs and lost productivity. This disease burden has intensified interest about the potential health impacts of UPF.

To characterize the portfolio of research on UPF supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

All NIH-supported research projects included in this Special Communication were awarded between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. An initial 520 projects were identified using iSearch and were manually reviewed for a focus on UPF. All projects that met the inclusion criteria were coded for study design, health conditions, and UPF-specific topics. The research projects were collected in June 2025, and a review and analysis of the data using descriptive statistics were conducted between June 1 and December 31, 2025.

A total of 81 NIH-supported UPF-specific projects were identified. Of these 81 projects, 58 studied various health conditions in relation to UPF consumption and 29 were interventional research, some of which examined the effects of food policies or lifestyle interventions on health outcomes. Forty-nine projects were coded as basic research, 32 of which examined human biological mechanisms of action from UPF exposure, and 5 studies included hybrids of human and vertebrate animal studies. The total number of NIH-supported projects has increased from 8 projects in fiscal year 2016 to 22 projects in fiscal year 2025, and funding for UPF-specific research increased from $3.3 million in fiscal year 2016 to $12 million in fiscal year 2025.

NIH support for UPF-specific research has grown since fiscal year 2016. Most research projects have focused on the connection between obesity and UPF intake; fewer have used interventions to address food access and/or insecurity and food environment. This is a key research gap given the role of food environments as a driver of UPF consumption in different populations and their importance in improving health outcomes. Another critical research gap is mechanistic research to elucidate causal pathways linking UPF consumption to adverse health outcomes and validated biomarkers of UPF exposure and disease.