The thermic effect of food is increased by both aerobic training of sufficient duration and intensity or by anaerobic weight training. However, the increase is marginal, amounting to 7-8 calories per hour. The primary determinants of daily TEF are the total caloric content of the meals and the macronutrient composition of the meals ingested. Meal frequency has little to no effect on TEF; assuming total calorie intake for the days are equivalent.
Although some believe that TEF is reduced in obesity, discrepant results and inconsistent research methods have failed to validate such claims.
The mechanism of TEF is unknown.  TEF has been described as the energy used in the distribution of nutrients and metabolic processes in the liver, but a hepatectomized animal shows no signs of TEF and intravenous injection of amino acids results in an effect equal to that of oral ingestion of the same amino acids.