Why your body burns more calories after eating carbs — if you have brown fat
Brown fat-associated postprandial thermogenesis in humans: Different effects of isocaloric meals rich in carbohydrate, fat, and protein
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Your body burns extra calories after eating — this is called thermogenesis. If you have lots of brown fat, your body burns way more calories after eating carbs, but not after eating protein or fat.
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.
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A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Your body burns extra calories after eating — this is called thermogenesis. If you have lots of brown fat, your body burns way more calories after eating carbs, but not after eating protein or fat.
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 542 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Aita S, Matsushita M, Yoneshiro T, Hatano T, Kameya T, Ohkubo I, Saito M
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Claims (10)
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.
Your body burns the most calories after eating protein, fewer after carbs, and the least after fat — which is why high-protein diets are often used for weight loss.
People with more active brown fat burn about 2% more of their carb meal’s energy as heat than people with less active brown fat—this could explain why some people stay leaner even when eating the same food.
Eating a fatty meal doesn’t make your body burn much extra energy, and your brown fat doesn’t seem to play a role in that process.