Quick Navigation

Thermic Effect of Food

Some of the calories in the food you ingest will be used to digest, absorb, and metabolize the rest of the food, and some will be burned off as heat. This process is called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), specific dynamic action (SDA), or thermic effect of food (TEF).

Our evidence-based analysis on thermic effect of food features 38 unique references to scientific papers.

Kamal Patel
Research analysis led by .
Reviewed by
Examine.com Team
Last Updated:
NOTE: We are updating our coronavirus (COVID-19) page with evidence as it comes in.

Summary of Thermic Effect of Food

Some of the calories in the food you ingest will be used to digest, absorb, and metabolize the rest of the food, and some will be burned off as heat. This process is known under various names, notably diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), specific dynamic action (SDA), and thermic effect of food (TEF).[1][2]

TEF represents about 10% of the caloric intake of healthy adults eating a standard mixed diet,[3] but your actual number will depend on several factors, which include your lean body mass and the size and composition of your meal. The energy required to digest each macronutrient (its TEF) can be expressed as a percentage of the energy provided by this macronutrient:[4]

  • Fat provides 9 food calories per gram, and its TEF is 0–3%.

  • Carbohydrate provides 4 food calories per gram, and its TEF is 5–10%.

  • Protein provides 4 food calories per gram, and its TEF is 20–30%.

Improve your health with the latest information on 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes.

By becoming an Examine Plus member, you'll have access to all of the latest nutrition research. Quickly and easily look up scientific research on over 400 supplements across over 600 different health goals, outcomes, conditions, and more.

Human Effect Matrix

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what supplements affect thermic effect of food.
Grade Level of Evidence
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
Uncontrolled or observational studies only
Level of Evidence
? The amount of high quality evidence. The more evidence, the more we can trust the results.
Supplement Magnitude of effect
? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
Consistency of research results
? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
Notes
grade-c
Green Tea Catechins
- - See study
No significant influence on the thermic effect of food
grade-d
Ginger
Minor - See study
Ginger has been found to increase the thermic effect of coingested food products
grade-d
Medium-chain triglycerides
- - See study
Insufficient evidence to support alterations in the thermic effect of food compared to other oils

Become an Examine Plus member to view this information.

You can currently view 3 supplements as a non-member — becoming a member will give you access to 4 total supplements related to Thermic Effect of Food.

Already a member? Login now to access.

grade-d
Psyllium
 

Get access to the latest nutrition research summarized

By becoming an Examine Plus member, you'll have access to all of the latest nutrition research on over 400 supplements across over 600 different health goals, outcomes, conditions, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions and Articles on Thermic Effect of Food

Do you need to eat six times a day to keep your metabolism high?
Eating food six times a day, or very high meal frequency, does not seem to increase the overall metabolic rate more than simply eating three times a day. If such a meal frequency can help you feel better on a diet then it can be useful but it alone won't cause weight loss or prevent weight gain.
Read full answer to "Do you need to eat six times a day to keep your metabolism high?"

Things to Note

Also Known As

TEF

Click here to see all 38 references.

This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

Each member of our research team is required to have no conflicts of interest, including with supplement manufacturers, food companies, and industry funders. The team includes nutrition researchers, registered dietitians, physicians, and pharmacists. We have a strict editorial process.

This page features 38 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of research information and references for Thermic Effect of Food.

Examine.com is intended to be used for educational and information purposes only. Examine.com and its Editors do not advocate nutritional supplementation over proper medical advice or treatment and this sentiment will never be expressed through pages hosted under Examine.com. If using any pharmaceuticals or drugs given to you by a doctor or received with a prescription, you must consult with the doctor in question or an equally qualified Health Care Professional prior to using any nutritional supplementation. If undergoing medical therapies, then consult with your respective Therapist or Health Care Professional about possible interactions between your Treatment, any Pharmaceuticals or Drugs being given, and possible nutritional supplements or practices hosted on Examine.com.

Examine.com does not assume liability for any actions undertaken after visiting these pages, and does not assume liability if one misuses supplements. Examine.com and its Editors do not ensure that unforeseen side effects will not occur even at the proper dosages, and thereby does not assume liability for any side effects from supplements or practices hosted under the domain of Examine.com.

Supplements

Articles

Health Topics

NERD

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify.

About

Never miss an update!

Your e-mail is safe with us. We don’t share personal data.