Capsaicin is found in peppers, such as jalapenos, cayenne, and habaneros. These foods help to add some delicious spice to many different types of food, and the capsaicin that the peppers contain is often used as a medicine. The benefits can be found through creams, which are for treating pain, as well as supplements and edible spicy food dishes, or just the peppers straight. One of the reasons these are so popular is because capsaicin and metabolism are tied together.
How Does It Work?
Capsaicin causes heat in the body, which is called thermogenesis. This causes the cells in the body to turn energy into heat. A study from the Aarhus University in Denmark led by Yasser Mahmoud found that eating capsaicin would help to increase thermogenesis in the body. The study was published in the “Journal of Biological Chemistry” in 2008. It showed that the body temperature increased, and so did a person’s metabolism.
Before you get the idea that eating a few peppers a day will make you svelte, you have to keep in mind that it will only raise the metabolism rate by about 8%. Still, when you combine the increased metabolism with the other benefits of capsaicin, along with a better diet and exercise, it does have the potential to make a difference for you on your weight loss journey.
Research from South Korea, which was published in the “Journal of Proteome Research” in 2010 found that rats who ate a high fat diet and had capsaicin were able to decrease their bodyfat, whereas the rats who did not have capsaicin were unable to do so. It helped to prevent mature fat cells from developing.
In addition to helping with metabolism, capsaicin has also been shown to help decrease the number of calories a person tends to eat in a sitting. If they have hot sauce or capsaicin in another form, they tend to eat about 200 fewer calories. Together, this and the increased metabolism do have the potential to help people with their weight loss. Just make sure you do not put all of your faith into the capsaicin doing all of the work for you.
What Problems Could Occur?
Many people who want to use spicy food as a means to boost their metabolism think that by eating more of the peppers, they can keep boosting the metabolism. You need to eat these spicy foods in moderation though, or it could start to cause pain in the stomach, as well as irritation. Your best option is to start slowly and the begin to add more of the spice to your diet. Just do not go overboard. If you notice that you are having issues with your stomach, make sure you speak with a medical professional.
Most people will not have any trouble using supplements, or adding some extra peppers or hot sauce to the diet. It is a good way to keep the meals interesting and maybe to help shed some of that extra weight, too.