Why eating more protein makes your body burn more calories after meals
Postprandial Thermogenesis Is Increased 100% on a High-Protein, Low-Fat Diet versus a High-Carbohydrate, Low-Fat Diet in Healthy, Young Women
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When young women ate meals with lots of protein instead of carbs, their bodies used more energy to digest and process the food, and they kept more protein in their bodies.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
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Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When young women ate meals with lots of protein instead of carbs, their bodies used more energy to digest and process the food, and they kept more protein in their bodies.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 546 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Johnston CS, Day CS, Swan PD
Related Content
Claims (7)
Diet-induced thermogenesis is significantly higher for dietary protein compared to carbohydrates and fats due to the energetic cost of protein absorption, metabolism, and amino acid synthesis.
Diet-induced thermogenesis is significantly higher for dietary protein compared to carbohydrates and fats due to the greater metabolic cost of protein absorption, transport, and amino acid metabolism.
Eating a diet high in protein and low in fat makes your body burn about twice as much energy after meals compared to eating a diet high in carbs and low in fat.
When people eat more protein and fewer carbs, their bodies hold onto more protein instead of breaking it down and losing it, which means they’re building or maintaining muscle better.
When people eat more protein, their blood shows higher levels of a waste product called urea, which means their body is breaking down more protein than when they eat more carbs.