Extract from red hot peppers boosts metabolic rate, study shows

As we age, managing healthy weight may become more difficult due to a slowing metabolism, however, help may come from a fiery source -- the capsicum pepper. A recent paper, Capsaicinoids Enhance Metabolic Rate in Normal Healthy Individuals using a Novel Metabolic Tracker Breezing Device-An Open Label Placebo Controlled Acute Study, published in the journal Obesity Open Access discussed the findings of the Metabolic Rate (MR) Study, which demonstrated that an extract from red hot peppers boosted metabolic rate (Chen, et al., 2017).

"Because capsaicinoids (the component of hot peppers that gives them heat) are hot, it was imperative that we use an ingredient which the subjects could tolerate," said Vijaya Juturu, Ph.D., F.A.C.N., one of the lead researchers on the MR Study. "Since Capsimax is made using a proprietary beadleting technology, OmniBead, which coats the capsicum extract, releasing it only when it reaches the intestines where it is absorbed without discomfort, we were able to deliver beneficial levels of capsaicinoids to our subjects, which made the MR Study possible."

The MR Study was a placebo-controlled, crossover open label study with 40 healthy adults examining the effects of either 2 mg capsaicinoids from 100 mg of Capsimax or placebo on resting energy expenditure, heart rate and blood pressure. Resting energy expenditure is the amount of energy required by the body during resting conditions and accounts up to 60% of the calories you burn each day and so increasing this amount can aid in managing weight. The study showed that supplementing with this low dose of Capsimax increased metabolic rate which calculated to an equivalent to burning an extra 116 calories per day. Moreover, though resting energy expenditure varies with each individual, this increase would yield almost 1 lb. of fat lost over 30 days.

"Aging is inevitable, but that doesn't mean we can't be active participants in our weight management as we age," said Abhijit Bhattacharya, President of OmniActive Health Technologies Ltd., producers of Capsimax. "Capsimax is supported by multiple studies with findings showing safety, increased lipolysis and satiety and improved healthy body composition. Now, with the publication of the MR Study, there is yet another demonstrated benefit of Capsimax as a natural, stimulant-free approach to weight management, sports nutrition and a healthy lifestyle as we age."​