There have been a lot of websites boldly promoting the ability of cayenne pepper to aid in weight loss.
As I have elsewhere included it as a beneficial constituent of a metabolic cooking program I thought I should do some further research.
The active ingredient in cayenne is capsaicin, which, without a doubt does speed up your metabolism.
The big question is how much and at what cost? These are the primary questions, which directed my research, especially if too much cayenne can be damaging to the body.
The good news is that there is a positive correlation between capsaicin and both satiety and increased metabolism.
The bad news is that rats that were fed cayenne demonstrated subsequent liver damage.
To put this into context I quote from the conclusion of one researcher," Capsaicin has been shown to be effective, yet when it is used clinically it requires a strong compliance to a certain dosage, that has not been shown to be feasible yet.
" This was the conclusion of a study of cayenne's ability to increase the metabolism.
I found the website of a doctor, who I will keep anonymous, who brazenly promoted an alternative as a way around this dilemma.
Capsinoids are a non-pungent capsaicin-related substance.
The good doctor was kind enough to leave references to his claims.
I studied the results of all of his referenced experiments.
After studying them I came to the conclusion that someone, perhaps the publishers in attempting to sell the literature appear to have motivations biased toward the positive.
For example, the abstract of one such study pushed some non-significant or marginal results as demonstrating a positive correlation.
When I looked at the studies themselves, the researchers clearly stated that there were no significant correlations.
My search did lead to one unexpected, but surprisingly positive result.
I found these referenced on the good doctor's site although they were a red herring there as the experiment tested capsaicin not capsinoids.
This test was specifically designed to measure any relationship between consumption of cayenne and the subsequent levels of satiety after subjects consumed whatever they liked from a buffet.
The results showed a significant positive correlation between satiety and ingesting cayenne.
The study was designed to measure both the gastrointestinal effects as well as the sensory effects.
So, there were the usual placebo group, a group ingesting 0.
9 grams of cayenne mixed in tomato juice and a group taking the same amount in capsules with tomato juice.
The men and women who took the capsules subsequently consumed 9.
5% and 11.
7% less, respectively than those in the placebo group.
Interestingly, when the cayenne was mixed straight into the tomato juice those numbers increased to 14% and 16% respectively.
Hence, there is also a significant correlation involving the sensory effects of taste.
Which means it is better to eat cayenne naturally than to take it in capsule form or as a supplement.
So, not only does eating cayenne pepper significantly dampen appetite, it does more so for women.
The only caution though is how much is too much.
I highly recommend the spice as a regular part of your diet, but would not rely too much on it or use it alone as a strategy to lose weight.