Spice lovers rejoice! Scientists might have found a spicy way to keep your body toned and in shape. It has been found that adding capsaicin from chilli peppers, to a diet may help prevent weight gain.
Researchers from Dr Baskaran Thyagarajan's laboratory, University of Wyoming, conducted a study on mice and have found potential in the component as a diet based supplement. They will soon explain how dietary capsaicin can stimulate thermogenesis and energy burning by activating its receptors, which are expressed in white and brown fat cells. If the experiment results positively, this will help prevent and manage obesity and other related health complications such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. However, these effects have not been proven in controlled clinical studies. A member of the research group known as 'Baskilab', Vivek Krishnan explained the cause of obesity; an imbalance between calorie intake and energy dissipation. Eating calorie-rich food and a lack of physical activity cause an imbalance in metabolism that leads to obesity.
The group's laboratory data revealed that dietary Capsaicin, a chief 'agonist' of transient receptor potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel protein, suppresses high-fat-diet-induced obesity. High-fat-diet obesity and dietary capsaicin -- 0.01 per cent of capsaicin in the total high fat diet-prevented high-fat-diet-induced weight gain in wild type mice, but not in mice that genetically lacked TRPV1.
The group's focus on counteracting obesity comes from the priorities on future healthcare laid down by both, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defence.
