Spicy food Weight Loss? Does it work?

Some of us love a little spice, some of us love a lot of spice but for all of you chili peppers lovers interesting rumours are starting to emerge, within the medical world, that spicy foods can actually help you lose weight.

However, before rushing off to your local curry house for some hot food or investing in some extra hot chilli peppers to add to all your meals, it is important to remember that a balanced approach to weight loss is essential.

So, this post will look at some of the research behind spicy food weight loss.

Does having a cupcake in each hand count as a balanced approach to diet?

No Moose a balanced diet is having the right mix and portions of all the food groups.

A good tip to eating healthily is to avoid all food that has an advertisement.

Before we Begin …

Simply adding a bit of spice or hot sauce to your meals will probably not lead to significant weight loss.

Adding some spicy food to your diet may help WHEN used together with the major players in weight loss:-

A healthy eating plan (cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates is a good place to start)
Resistance training or an exercise regime
Increasing your water intake
Sleep well: between 7 and 9 hours per night is optimum for weight loss

You can have inner peace or you can have chilli with beans … but you can’t have both.

Does Spicy Food speed up your Metabolism?

Many studies over the years have found out that certain spices like red chilli pepper, ginger, and black peppers increase your basal metabolic rate by raising your body temperature, which causes you to burn more calories and is a great way of helping your weight loss plan.

A bowl of Chili con carne, for instance, can temporarily boost metabolism by about 8%. Spices like chilli and ginger can also give your libido a big boost, which causes you to want to go and burn off even more calories.

Brilliant. Who’s coming for a hot curry tonight. I can drink more beer just thinking about all the fat that is going to be burning.

Hector! That is completely the wrong idea, you know?

Oh well, worth a try.

How does eating Spicy Food aid Weight Loss?

Capsaicin is the main, active compound found in hot peppers that gives you that distinctive burning sensation when eaten.

Spices that are high in Capsaicin are chilli peppers, jalapenos, habaneros and cayenne pepper.

A 2012 medical study on the consumption of chilli peppers has collected data that shows the benefits of hot red peppers in weight management. In this research, participants consumed 1 to 3.5 grams of red pepper and this enhanced heat production (thermogenesis) and increased fat oxidation (fat burning).

Another study examined capsaicin in relation to weight maintenance after a percentage body weight loss of 5 % to 10 %. 91 overweight volunteers underwent a 3 month weight maintenance program. The group was divided into two groups, one group took Capsaicin (135 mg) and the other group a placebo. This study also concluded that capsaicin treatment caused more fat oxidation (burning of fat) during weight maintenance. Avoid capsaicin supplements however.

I spilt curry in my lap. What did I get? Hot pants!

Are there any other Health Benefits to eating Spicy Foods?

The enjoyment that spice lovers get from the burning mouth, tongue and taste buds, watering eyes and sweating may be more than just a love of pain. Read on to find out the many health benefits associated with eating spicy dishes.

On a general level, a huge study published in 2015, on almost 500,000 people in China claims that regularly eating spicy food reduced the risk of death by 14 % independent of other health factors.

To maximise on this astounding statistics you need to eat spicy food daily. The protective effect of spicy food was found to be equal for both men and women but less for those that consume alcohol. So forget that beer with your curry!

Spices have been used by ancient Indian and Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Turmeric was used as an anti-inflammatory agent and is said to relieve pain, treat colic and gastrointestinal disorders, chest pains and menstrual problems.

Turmeric has also been shown in scientific studies to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels (triglycerides are circulating fats in the blood that deposit plaques in veins and arteries), hence preventing conditions caused by vascular disorders such as heart attacks and strokes.

The morning after I’ve had a curry there is a whole new meaning to the song ‘burning ring of fire’ if you get my drift!

Other Health Benefits of Tumeric and Capsaicin

Both Turmeric and Capsaicin possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. They have been said to help prevent several health disorders as well as clearing the nasal passages, such as:-

Myocardial Infarction (heart attack) (heart attack)
Chronic lung diseases caused by inflammation
Lowers blood pressure
Pancreatitis
Chronic pain
Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Colitis
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
Hepatic problems
Muscle injuries
Cystic Fibrosis
Tumor Suppressor for some cancers: One 2010 study suggests that Capsaicin suppresses the growth of cancer cells in prostrate cancer. Another piece of research suggests that Capsaicin had properties that targeted and destroyed diseased cells in small cell lung cancer
Improves mood: Feeling good may help with making the right dietary choices. Capsaicin triggers the release of endorphins, which are not only a natural pain killers, but can enhance mood too.

Sorry Doc, I had to skip that bit. Cardamon me but I was in a curry.

So much pun peppered over all this post.

I know I’m a seasoned punner!

How to Add a bit of Spice to your life

There is an assortment of spice choices containing capsaicin that can help you along with your weight loss plan. There are black peppers, fresh peppers, jalapenos, sweet paprika, tabasco peppers and dried chilli powders too. All these hot spices are readily accessible and keep for long periods of time.

Adding a tiny amount of chilli to your food can help increase your tolerance to hot spice and help you gradually build up to more therapeutic doses.

If you are cooking for a lot of people, or for children, you can place fresh, sliced chillies as a side dish and let people help themselves according to their own taste preference.

If you really do not like spicy food all is not lost for your weight loss plan.

You can always try adding ginger to your cup of tea or mild curry powder to a quinoa recipe, or a little cumin to your next stir fry. There are a number of great capsaicin rich weight loss recipes that you can try . Adding a little bit of spice to your meal may improve the flavor and cause you to eat less and you will lose quite a bit of weight.

Live life with a little Spice.

Spicy Food lowers Calorie Consumption

Capsaicin and Capsaicinoids, the active ingredients in chilli peppers, can actually help reduce calorie intake. Studies have shown that taking a minimum of 2 mg of Capsaicin as part of a meal, reduced appetite and led participants to eat less.

Furthermore, those in the study chose less high fat foods after consuming the spice further reducing the number of calories consumed.

One of the problems with adding Capsaicin is that a lot of people can not tolerate the high doses of Capsaicin required, however in a study by Mattes and Ludy it was found that Cayenne pepper (less than a teaspoon) also revved up calorie burning and reduced appetite.

Medical researchers carried out a study in Quebec whereby participants were given 0.9 grams of hot red pepper 10 minutes before an ‘eat all you can’ buffet.

Despite being informed to eat until they were full, the food intake was lower by 8.5 % in the spice eating group, compared with the control group. This was found to be due to a 13.3 % decrease in fatty foods chosen.

A similar study from the Netherlands concluded that satiety (feeling full) was improved after Capsaicin ingestion due to changes in gut hormones (GLP-1 and grehlin) that are responsible for stimulating hunger and satiety.

I don’t know if I’m hungry, but I’m going to eat anyway … just in case!

Questions and Answers

Are there any other herbs and spices that aid weight loss?

Good Question and here are three other foods that have been scientifically proven to aid weight loss:-

Ginseng: Also noted for its energy boosting qualities and is known to speed up metabolism too. A study using panax ginseng in animals showed an improvement in insulin sensitivity and significant weight loss too.

Cinnamon: This tasty spice can be used in sweet and savoury dishes and also boasts the ability to boost your metabolism. In addition cinnamon a helps with blood sugar regulation and lowers cholesterol too. This makes it a particularly beneficial dietary addition for those with diabetes.

Mustard: This good old staple food adds a little kick to your cold meats and roast dinners. Kirschmann in his book, ‘Nutrition Almanac’ has shown that mustard seeds also boost your metabolic rate by 25 %. Adding less than one teaspoon of mustard to your meal can result in 45 extra calories being burnt per hour.

A soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

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I’m starting my diet on Monday. I’m not saying which Monday … but I will be starting my diet on Monday.

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References

Díaz-Laviada I.(2010) Effect of capsaicin on prostate cancer cells.Future Oncol. 2010 Oct;6(10):1545-50. (Retrieved January 25^th 2016)
Henry CJ, Emery B. (1986) Effect of spiced food on metabolic rate.Hum Nutr Clin Nutr. 1986 Mar;40(2):165-8. (Retrieved January 22^nd 2016)
Jiang X, Jia LW, Li XH, Cheng XS, Xie JZ, Ma ZW, Xu WJ, Liu Y, Yao Y, Du LL, Zhou XW.(2013) Capsaicin ameliorates stress-induced Alzheimer’s disease-like pathological and cognitive impairments in rats.J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;35(1):91-105 (Retrieved January 25^th 2016)
Krishnaswamy K. (2008) Traditional Indian spices and their health significance Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2008;17(S1):265-268 (Retrieved January 25^th 2016)
Lau JK, Brown KC, Dom AM, Witte TR, Thornhill BA (et al.)(2014) Capsaicin induces apoptosis in human small cell lung cancer via the TRPV6 receptor and the calpain pathway. Apoptosis. 2014 Aug;19(8):1190-201. (Retrieved January 25^th 2016)
Lejeune MP, Kovacs EM, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. (2003) Effect of capsaicin on substrate oxidation and weight maintenance after modest body-weight loss in human subjects.Br J Nutr. 2003 Sep;90(3):651-59. (Retrieved January 22^nd 2016)
Ludy MJ, Mattes RD (2011) The effects of hedonically acceptable red pepper doses on thermogenesis and appetitePhysiol Behav. 2011 Mar 1; 102(3-4): 251–258. (Retrieved January 22^nd 2016)

…and a few more References

Mansour, MS, Ni YM, Roberts AL, Kelleman M, (et al.) (2012) Ginger consumption enhances the thermic effect of food and promotes feelings of satiety without affecting metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight men: A pilot study Metabolism. 2012 Oct; 61(10): 1347–1352 (Retrieved January 22^nd 2016)
Reinbach HC, Smeets A, Martinussen T, Møller P, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. (2009) Effects of capsaicin, green tea and CH-19 sweet pepper on appetite and energy intake in humans in negative and positive energy balance. Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;28(3):260-5 (Retrieved January 21^st 2016)
Lv J, Qi L, Yu C, Yang L, Guo Y, Chen Y, Bian Z, Sun D, Du J, Ge P, Tang Z, Hou W, Li Y, Chen J, Chen Z, Li L; China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group. (2015) Consumption of spicy foods and total and cause specific mortality: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2015 Aug 4;351:h3942 (Retrieved January 21^st 2016)
Vasanthi HR, Parameswari PR (2010) Indian Spices for Healthy Heart – An Overview BMJ. 2015 Aug 4;351:h3942 (Retrieved January 25^th 2016)
Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Smeets A, Lejeune MP. (2005) Sensory and gastrointestinal satiety effects of capsaicin on food intake.Int J Obes (Lond). 2005 Jun;29(6):682-8.(Retrieved January 25^th 2016)
Whiting S, Derbyshire E, Tiwari BK.(2012) Capsaicinoids and capsinoids. A potential role for weight management? A systematic review of the evidence. Appetite. 2012 Oct;59(2):341-8. (Retrieved January 25^th 2016)
Yoshioka M, St-Pierre S, Drapeau V, Dionne I, Doucet E, Suzuki M, Tremblay A.(1989) Effects of red pepper on appetite and energy intake. Br J Nutr. 1999 Aug;82(2):115-23. (Retrieved January 25^th 2016)