Could eating spicy foods help you with weight loss?
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
The compound in hot chili peppers that can boost your metabolism
- Experts suggest that capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers hot, can boost metabolism.
- A study led by Dr. Paige Cunningham found that eating rate slowed and food intake reduced as spiciness increased.
- Clinical dietician Haley Robinson notes capsaicin increases core temperature and metabolism, potentially burning calories faster, with research indicating it could boost metabolism by up to 5 percent.
- Patricia Bridget Lane suggests capsaicin may affect the hypothalamus, controlling hunger and fullness, but there's no proof that extremely hot peppers have significantly higher benefits.
- Harvard researchers found that regular chili pepper consumption may lower the risk of death from heart disease, with daily consumption associated with a 14 percent lower risk of death, but Dr. Thomas Holland cautions about the frequent consumption of high-fat, high-calorie foods alongside chili peppers.