Not Everyone Absorbs Calories the Same Way

You Should Know: You might be surprised to learn calorie counts on nutrition labels are more of an educated guess than hard facts. The current methodology was developed at the turn of the 20th century using average values, which doesn’t account for the reality that two people eating the same meal can absorb different amounts of energy from it.

Going Deeper: How efficiently we absorb calories largely depends on natural differences in digestion and metabolism. Research suggests that people with higher concentrations of certain bacteria in their gut microbiome are more efficient at extracting calories from food. How it’s prepared matters too. Cooking makes calories more accessible, while eating raw foods requires more work to digest and yields fewer net calories. Health conditions can also influence how much energy a person absorbs from food.

Takeaway: Calorie counting alone is a simplistic approach to healthy eating, and it doesn’t guarantee better health — even if it does help you lose weight. If you want to eat better, choosing whole foods over highly processed ones is a smarter place to start.

Bottom Line: The individual variation in absorption is relatively modest, but it’s a good reminder that calorie counting isn’t an exact science.