Red peppers can burn extra calories- Study
Capsaicin is the reason that chili peppers are spicy. The compound was used to develop a drug that successfully tackled obesity in mice.
The scientist conducting the research administered metabocin orally to wild-type mice that had been fed a high-fat diet. They also examined the rodents’ blood plasma levels for markers of metabolic health — such as liver and kidney function — and took the mice’s blood pressure.
Dr. Thyagarajan and team started with the hypothesis that metabocin should cause weight loss due the effect that capsaicin has on receptors called transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily 1 (TRPV1).
“We observed,” says Dr. Thyagarajan, “marked improvements in blood sugar and cholesterol levels, insulin response, and symptoms of fatty liver disease.”
In fact, the mice took the drug for 8 months, during which time the weight loss was maintained and no side effects were noted.
However, the researchers caution that the findings do not mean that dieters should start eating hot peppers to lose weight. In fact, they warn that capsaicin, as it is found in chili peppers and spicy foods, is not easily absorbed by the stomach, so it will not have the same effects as the drug.
Moreover, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) caution that “heavy ingestion of the compound has been associated with necrosis, ulceration, and even carcinogenesis.”
Nevertheless, a drug that uses capsaicin as its main active compound may help to stave off obesity.
Similarly, another study from Purdue University, showed people burned more calories and had lowered appetites after eating red pepper. The effect was particularly strong in those who did not consume spicy foods on a regular basis.
But keep in mind a spicy ingredient alone is not a magical doorway to significant weight loss. The research team noted an occasional sprinkling of red pepper on your meal can be beneficial when combined with a healthy diet and an active lifestyle.
These data presented above are valuable for advancing the clinical uses of metabocin to counter obesity in humans.