If you like spicy foods, you may have the ultimate and easiest weight loss tip right at your fingertips.
Capsaicin.
Capsaicin is the element of spicy foods like cayenne pepper that gives it its heat, but it does more than that.
Cayenne pepper and weight loss science
Research has shown for a while now that capsaicin is responsible for boosting metabolism, to the tune of an additional 50 calories per day according to a meta-analysis published in 2012. [1]
But not only that, that very same analysis found that capsaicin consumption also increased lipid oxidation and reduced appetite.
Both very important findings if we are looking to manage weight without counting calories.
A more recent meta-analysis published in 2023 found that capsaicin supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in body weight, BMI, and waist circumference when compared to a control group. [2]
Which makes perfect sense if the results of the 2012 analysis hold up. Extra calorie burning plus increased fat burning plus a reduced appetite potentially is about as sure of a weight loss equation as you can get.
A word of caution about cayenne pepper
Now it is important to note that one should not go hog wild on the capsaicin consumption.
Spicy foods could irritate the gut lining, or worse, if consumed in excess. And the health of your gut lining is vital to, well, just about everything.
From properly absorbing your nutrients to keeping foreign substances out of the bloodstream to regulating your immune system to keeping your bowels moving properly to even influencing the health of your thinking, the integrity of your gut is about as important as it gets.
So be sure to speak with your licensed healthcare practitioner to find out if capsaicin supplementation or capsaicin-containing foods are safe and appropriate for you before you add them to your diet.
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