Alternative term for diet-induced thermogenesis.
Heat-producing response of the body to the ingestion of food.
The increase in the body’s metabolic rate that is produced by the consumption, digestion, metabolism, and storage of food. Foods with relatively low thermic effects include most carbohydrates, since carbohydrates, especially sugars, cost the body relatively little energy to digest and metabolize. Protein-rich meals have a higher TEF, which is the rationale for low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins and South Beach diets.