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Cited by 98Diet and metabolism studiesDietary Effects on HealthRegulation of Appetite and Obesity

Thermodynamics and Metabolic Advantage of Weight Loss Diets

Feinman, Richard D., Fine, Eugene J.·2003·Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
DOI 10.1089/154041903322716688
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Abstract

Published reports show that low carbohydrate weight loss diets provide a metabolic advantage, a greater weight loss per calorie consumed compared to isocaloric high carbohydrate diets. These reports have not been refuted but rather largely ignored, presumably because of the apparent violation of the laws of thermodynamics ("a calorie is a calorie"). In this review, we show that there is no such violation of thermodynamic laws. Energy utilization of different diets depends on the chemical pathway taken and a metabolic analysis of the efficiency of different pathways reveals large differences. Likewise, thermogenesis produced by diets of different macronutrient composition varies widely. We present a plausible mechanism that depends on the inefficiency of metabolic cycles and, in particular, protein turnover. A low carbohydrate diet makes demands on protein turnover for gluconeogenesis. From a theoretical point of view,energy balance between two diets is to be expected only if the subjects have the same final physiologic state, and only if all of the changes contributing to the energy, heat, work and chemical effects are known. Most diet experiments do not conform to this ideal. There is no theoretical contradiction in metabolic advantage and no theoretical barrier to accepting reports describing this effect.

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  • Comparisons of isocaloric diets of different macronutrient composition frequently show no difference in effectiveness, but there are several examples where distinct advantages accrue to one of the diets, usually the low carbohydrate arm.

    “Comparisons of isocaloric diets of different macronutrient composition frequently show no difference in effectiveness but there are several examples where distinct advantages accrue to one of the diets, usually the low carbohydrate arm [21-25].”

    From The case for low carbohydrate diets in diabetes management (2005) · cites this paper as [24]

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Authors
Feinman, R. D., & Fine, E. J.
ORCID
Venue
Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2003-09
Volume
1
Issue
3
Pages
209-219
ISSN
  • 1540-4196 (ISSN-L)
  • 1557-8518
DOI
10.1089/154041903322716688
OpenAlex
W2021574527
Cited by
98
References
49
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 8
FWCI
4.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.liebertpub.com/nv/resources-tools/text-and-data-mining-policy/121/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Diet and metabolism studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Dietary Effects on Health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
Keywords
low-carbohydrate diet, weight loss, thermodynamics, thermogenesis, macronutrient composition, protein turnover, gluconeogenesis, energy balance, isocaloric diet, energy utilization

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