Hormonal
Insulin resistance in obesity causes a decreased thermic effect of glucose by limiting the rate of glucose uptake and storage, rather than by an intrinsic defect in thermogenic efficiency.
If you are obese, your body may not burn as many calories from a meal as a lean person's because insulin resistance slows down how fast your body stores glucose. This isn't a permanent defect; it's a rate-limiting step. Improving your insulin sensitivity (through exercise, weight loss, or diet) can help normalize how your body handles energy from food.
These results suggest that the defect in the thermic effect of glucose observed in obese subjects is due to their insulin resistance, which is responsible for a lower rate of glucose uptake and hence decreased rate of glucose storage, which is an energy-requiring process.
Why this rating
Controlled clinical trial with matched glucose uptake, though small sample size (n=15).
Source
Evidence that insulin resistance is responsible for the decreased thermic effect of glucose in human obesity.
Éric Ravussin et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 1985
DOI 10.1172/jci112083
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