Chili Extract May Help You Lose Weight

A chili powder extract may aid weight loss by boosting energy expenditure according to a study presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim last week.

Researchers from the University of California conducted the study which included 34 men and women.

The participants were all given a very low calorie liquid meal replacement for 28 days and were then randomly assigned to receive a placebo or a supplement containing a compound found in chili peppers called dihydrocapsiate.

Dihydrocapsiate is related to capsaicin, the compound that gives red peppers their heat and that has been shown to speed up metabolism. The difference is that dihydrocapsiate does not generate any heat and can be tolerated in larger doses than capsaicin.

The researchers found that energy expenditure nearly doubled among participants who took the dihyrocapsiate extract compared to the placebo group. They also observed increases in fat oxidation which means the body was using more fat as fuel.

They plan to conduct further studies to determine if results vary depending on weight and meal type.

According to the World Health Organization over 300 million people are obese worldwide. It is well known that obesity is becoming an epidemic in America and currently around ¼ of the US population is considered obese.