The Boom Boom Performance Podcast

Thermodynamics and nutrition have one major thing in common: they both involve energy. Thermodynamics is generally talked about with heat, efficiency, or the transfer of energy Nutrition is always about calories.. And it is often questioned whether a calorie is always a calorie. 1st law of thermodynamics = energy is conserved 2nd law of thermodynamics = energy transfer is not 100% efficient, often some is lost as heat A great example of thermodynamics applied to nutrition is macronutrients. We know that different macronutrients have different thermic effects. For example, protein has a much higher thermogenic effect than fat - about 20% compared to 0%. So not all calories are the same. Next, we have to think about what thermodynamics generally refers to and that’s closed systems.  A closed system always contains the same matter. There can be no mass transfers across the boundary. There may be energy transfer across the boundary. So, is the human body a closed system? Nope. We eat, digest, and pass food/water