Eating Peppers Might Lead To Weight Loss

Peppers and Weight Loss Do you love Mexican dishes?

If so, perhaps you could not endure a dish with loads of sliced jalapeños peppers. Mexican food lovers who want to lose weight would surely love the fact that peppers can help them get rid of some excess fats. According to food scientists, peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that adds spice to food and heats up the body. Peppers have been used as spice for different cuisines in across countries since it adds zing and pungency.

Other Uses

However, this is not the sole use of peppers. More and more scientific researches have been claiming that peppers help in generating heat in the body that can actually help in losing extra fats in the body. This is beneficial for people who want to reduce a few inches on their waistline. However, in the event that you do not appreciate the pungent taste of peppers, you can try those “non-burning” versions of capsaicin dubbed as DCT or dihydrocapsiate.

In a research conducted that aimed to test the potential of DCT in losing weight, scientists from the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition have concluded that it has indeed this ability to boost heat production that leads to weight loss. Professor of Medicine and Public Health David Heber headed the said research.

More Research

Under the said research, 34 respondents were involved who were asked to consume low-calorie liquid meal for 28 days. The respondents took either placebo pills or DCT-containing supplements. There were two dosage levels of DCT used in the study. The weight and body fats of the respondents were monitored at the start and end of the research. The researchers also determined the heat production of each respondent after taking a serving of the given meal. The data gathered by the researchers provided evidences that energy expenditure of the respondents was significantly increased after taking the test meal.

Their energy expenditure was almost double when compared to those who took placebo pills. DCT was also seen as a factor in increasing the rate of fat oxidation. Therefore, it helps a person to lose weight as it increase the rate of metabolism. The limitation of this study, however, is that the effect of DCT was tested only after a single meal. Also, there could be a difference on the effects of DCT on obese and lean subjects. Never ignore peppers included in your meal as it can help you get rid of some calories.

One Last thing to Remember

Before you rush to Walmart to buy all the peper you can get your hands on bear in mind the limitation of the study. The respondents were in low calorie diet so even eating a truckload of peppers would never be an assurance that you can lose significant pounds.