The “Energy Balance Hypothesis” as Applied to Nutrition Is Marketing Mythology

Debunking Junk Science Used to Sell Junk Food

Eight primary diseases related to metabolic dysfunction account for a staggering 75 percent of healthcare costs in the U.S. To escape culpability for their role in the metabolic disease pandemic, food and beverage corporations have diverted responsibility to consumers by hiding behind a pseudoscientific concept called “energy balance.” They have used this narrative to dominate discussions about food and fitness for decades, wielding so-called “science” to discredit those who challenge them.

Food marketing relies on the classic propaganda principle: If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. Learning to separate fact from fiction is essential if we are to make any progress toward improving public health.

To deconstruct the myth of energy balance, we will employ some basic science—physics, biology, and chemistry—and a little history.

What Is the Myth of Energy Balance?

Simply stated:

Energy in (E+) – Energy out (E-) = Change in Body Fat Stores

The myth suggests:

• If energy intake (calories consumed) equals energy expenditure (calories burned) over time, body weight remains the same.
• If energy intake exceeds expenditure over time, weight gain occurs.
• If energy expenditure exceeds intake over time, weight loss occurs.

On the surface, this sounds like common sense—but it is not true. This oversimplification exploits a false assumption. To truly understand metabolic health, we must rely on real science, not mythology.

E Is for Energy, F Is for Fuel

Let’s begin with the big “E”: energy. When the food industry says “energy,” they actually mean food. But is food energy? Here lies the false assumption. Food contains chemicals that can be converted into energy, but more accurately, food is fuel. The distinction between fuel and energy is critical.

In physics, energy is a property of objects that can be transferred to other objects or converted into different forms but cannot be created or destroyed. The two main types of energy are kinetic and potential energy.

• Kinetic energy is energy in motion, such as moving water or wind.
• Potential energy is stored energy. Fuels are materials that store potential energy and can be released for work. Examples include oil in a barrel or food on your plate.
• Real energy is made in the cell – mitochondria manufactures ATP the real source of energy in the metabolism

In physics, work is the transfer of energy. Consider a baseball pitcher throwing a ball:

• The pitcher does “work” on the baseball by transferring energy from his arm to the ball.
• What fuels the pitcher’s work? Food.

The processed food industry prefers to call food “energy” rather than “fuel” because they do not want consumers to think about the complex biological and chemical reactions involved in nutrition and metabolism. Understanding that energy and fuel are not the same is essential.

Dropping the Bomb (Calorimeter)

Calories are units of stored energy—the amount of energy required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. The device that measures calories in food is called the bomb calorimeter, invented by French chemist Pierre Eugène Marcellin Berthelot in 1881.

The bomb calorimeter measures the heat of combustion by burning food in a metal chamber placed in an insulated vessel of water. The heat generated transfers to the water, and the temperature increase determines the energy released. However, this central unit of measurement, the calorie, is based on an antiquated device that burns food in a small oven.

But the human body is not an oven.

The process by which potential energy is released from food isn’t combustion—it’s metabolism. Metabolism includes all biological and chemical reactions necessary to sustain life. And metabolism is only as efficient as its fuel.

Food Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts

Food is fuel, not just energy. Food is a substance that contains energy along with other nutritional properties that can be beneficial or harmful to a living organism.

Real food is alive and complex, containing:

• Macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates, including fiber)
• Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
• Beneficial phytochemicals
• Millions of microorganisms, most of which are beneficial

Processing removes many beneficial components (fiber, nutrients, and microorganisms) to increase shelf life and “palatability.” To make matters worse, the processed food industry uses thousands of additives.

• The GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) list once contained 180 items. Today, it has 10,000. Do you really believe there are 10,000 safe substances to consume?

The most dominant industrial additive in our global food supply is sugar—not the intrinsic sugar found in fruits and vegetables, but factory-produced sugar from commodity crops like corn, beets, and sugar cane. The difference is vast.

The average American consumes 17 teaspoons (71 grams) of added sugar daily (about 57 pounds per year), half of which is fructose. Many consume double this amount. Excess sugar consumption is a leading driver of diet-related disease.

The Hateful and the Grateful Eight: Cellular Health and Energy Balance

Taking the idea of “real energy” to a deeper level, cellular health is ultimately the best path to true energy balance. There are eight key intracellular processes that can either support or harm metabolic function. Dr. Robert Lustig refers to these as “The Hateful Eight” when they are dysfunctional and “The Grateful Eight” when they are optimized for health. These processes underpin chronic disease and longevity alike.

The Hateful Eight (Dysfunctional Processes Leading to Disease):

1. Glycation – Sugar binding to proteins and fats, forming toxic advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) that damage tissues.
2. Oxidative Stress – An excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause cellular and DNA damage.
3. Insulin Resistance – Impaired insulin signaling leading to poor glucose metabolism and metabolic dysfunction.
4. Inflammation – Chronic low-grade inflammation driving metabolic diseases.
5. Mitochondrial Dysfunction – Impaired cellular energy production, leading to fatigue and disease.
6. Membrane Instability – Weak or damaged cell membranes reducing cell function and communication.
7. Methylation Dysregulation – Poor gene regulation affecting cellular repair and detoxification.
8. Autophagy Impairment – Decreased cellular cleanup and repair, leading to toxic build-up and aging.

Each of these processes can work for or against you, and they are driven by diet and lifestyle. The key to true energy balance is not simply a calorie equation but supporting cellular function through real, nutrient-dense foods.

The question is: Will the myth continue? Or will real science finally debunk 50 years of deception—allowing people to reclaim their health by simply eating real food?

Want to learn more? Read Metabolical.