Research paper
Westerterp KR. Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutrition & Metabolism. 2004;1(1):5. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-1-5
Why we cite it
A review giving macronutrient-specific thermic effect values, ”Reported DIT values” drawn from its references: protein 20–30%, carbohydrate 5–10%, fat 0–3%. For the project it is the basis for explaining protein’s thermic cost, whose reported range sits far above fat’s. The review reports a DIT sequence of alcohol, protein, carbohydrate and fat that reflects the postprandial oxidation hierarchy, and says ”The main effect of protein on energy balance is thought to be DIT related satiety”. The satiety evidence it cites compares high-protein/high-carbohydrate diets with a high-fat diet, and it says the effect ”might be ascribed to the high protein rather than the high carbohydrate content”. Its conclusion names the diet’s energy content and its protein and alcohol fractions as the main determinants of DIT. (Corrected 2026-09-10. This paragraph called the paper ”The standard reference … widely cited … (46,000+ citations)”, but 46,000+ is the author’s career total, not this paper’s. It said ”the body expends 3–10× more energy processing protein than fat”, a ratio the paper does not give. It gave the oxidation order a storage rationale, and a ”satiety hierarchy (protein > carbohydrate > fat)”, neither of which the paper states. It called protein ”uniquely” satiating. And it said Westerterp concluded protein is ”the main dietary determinant of thermogenesis”, where the paper names energy content and the protein and alcohol fractions.)