Capsaicin and Hunger

When trying to shed unwanted weight, some weight-loss experts suggest individuals to consume spicy foods to ‘boost’ their metabolism. Is there any truth to this waist slimming claim, or is there more than meets the eye?

First off, spicy peppers contain a phytochemical called capsaicin. Commonly consumed peppers, from most to least capsaicin include habaneros, cayenne, serranos, and jalapenos. This means there is a lot of opportunity to spice things up (pun intended) and get a healthy balanced diet when cooking. 

It was originally thought that the sweating that occurred from eating spicy foods was your metabolism being supercharged, leading to weight loss. Yet, researchers found that eating one jalapeno per day only burned roughly 40 extra calories per day. This means that it would take roughly three months to burn an additional pound of fat!

While this may be true, other studies have investigated how full you feel after eating a spicy meal. They found that, compared to a normal meal, spicy meals led to an increased sensation of fullness an hour post-meal. This was attributed to an increase in hormones that tell your brain to stop eating. Therefore, capsaicin should make those post-dinner snacks much less appealing.

While consuming capsaicin in large amounts may have its benefits, it ultimately comes down to your spice tolerance, food preferences, and what you can stick to for the long term.