Chili peppers can help burn fat, study shows

If you’re struggling with losing weight but can’t stop yourself from munching on a snack every so often, science may have found a solution for you—but it’ll require building up a tolerance for spicy food.

 

Researchers from the University of Wyoming have found that capsaicin, an active component in chili peppers, has the potential to be a diet-based supplement to help people with weight loss. According to researchers, capsaicin stimulates thermogenesis, the process of heat production, thus counteracting obesity. The study was conducted in the lab of Dr. Baskaran Thyagarajan.

 

“Obesity is caused by an imbalance between calorie intake and energy dissipation,” explained Vivek Krishnan, a graduate student working as part of the team at the University of Wyoming’s School of Pharmacy.

 

Our bodies have both white and brown fat cells. Energy is stored in the former, while brown fat cells burn the stored fat. The researchers found that dietary capsaicin stimulate thermogenesis and the process of burning energy by interacting with a “transient receptor potential vanilloid 1” (TRPV1) channel protein. The lab found that capsaicin prevented weight gain in trials that involved wild mice, but not mice that genetically lacked TRPV1.

 

If the findings can be developed to apply to humans, it may help prevent and manage obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases.

 

The research findings will be presented during the 59th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, from February 7-11 in Baltimore, in the US. — Bea Montenegro/TJD, GMA News