Eating more protein makes your muscles bigger, and bigger muscles burn more calories all day—even if digestion doesn’t.

Increased total daily energy expenditure from high-protein diets is mediated by elevated fat-free mass resulting from enhanced muscle protein synthesis, not by sustained diet-induced thermogenesis.

Chronic elevation of protein intake beyond the threshold required for maximal muscle protein synthesis does not sustainably increase diet-induced thermogenesis or total daily energy expenditure.

Chronic elevation of protein intake above optimal levels for muscle synthesis does not sustainably increase diet-induced thermogenesis, despite acute thermogenic effects.

Even though eating more protein every day makes you burn more calories at rest, it doesn’t make you burn more calories after meals over the long term—your body gets used to it.

Eating a meal with more protein makes your body burn more calories right after eating — but only if you’re not overweight; if you are, this calorie-burning boost doesn’t happen.