Thermogenesis
Heat production by the body — including the calorie cost of digesting food and the target of next-gen 'energy burn' drugs.
Thermogenesis is energy deliberately spent as heat. It shows up as the thermic effect of food (protein costs the most to digest — one reason high-protein diets have a built-in edge), shivering and non-shivering heat in cold, and the activity of brown fat, the specialized tissue that burns calories to warm you.
Pharmacology keeps circling it: old thermogenic stimulants raised burn rates at unacceptable cardiac cost, while modern approaches — glucagon-receptor agonism in triple agonists like retatrutide — aim for the same upward nudge safely. For everyday planning its lesson is modest but real: protein-rich meals and preserved muscle quietly raise the number of calories your body spends doing nothing dramatic at all.
This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and is written to be consistent with FDA prescribing information and primary trial publications as of its last review. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider for personal medical decisions.
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