Sweet Red Peppers May Help Fight Obesity

Capsuim species of hot peppers have been used worldwide as food, spices, and medicines. Capsaicin is the major pungent component of the fruits, which has been reported to be able to enhance catecholamine secretion, energy expenditure, and suppress body fat accumulation with long term treatment in animal studies. Uses are limited as a food additive or drug due to strong pungency and nociceptive activity for humans. This study investigated whether CH-19 Sweet has a thermogenetic effect in humans by measuring oxygen consumption and body temperature.

Data was collected from 7 male and 4 female volunteer participants between the ages of 21-32 with a mean age of 24.5 years. Participants abstained from food, drink, and exercise for 3 hours before beginning the study, and wore face masks for respiratory gas sampling with electrodes attached to them under their clothing for temperature measurement in a quiet relaxing atmosphere with about 50% humidity and temperature of 22 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes in sitting positions. Once subject’s body temperature and oxygen consumption were stabilized for 5 minutes they were given either CH-19 Sweet or California-Wandar as control which does not contain capsiate or capsaicin to ingest.

Temperature of tympanic membrane in the ear was taken as the core body temperature with infrared ear thermometer and was measured every 10 minutes. Facial temperature was measured by infrared thermography; neck and wrist temperatures were measured with an electronic thermometer. Respiratory gas was measured by indirect calorimetry with a mass spectrum analyzer. Basal body temperature and oxygen consumption varies from person to person, meaning values before intake was set as baseline value and relative values after intake of the fruits were compared.

Core body temperature of the CH-19 group was slightly increased from baseline values, and higher than the control group being the most significant 10-60 minutes after ingestion. Core and neck temperatures of the control group slightly decreased with time. Forehead temperature of the CH-19 group was increased from baseline and significantly different from the control group after 20 minutes from ingestion. Wrist and neck temperature increased in the CH-19 group from baseline levels significantly detected at 10 and 15 minutes after ingestion, with neck temperatures being significantly higher than the control group being most different at 10-60 minutes after ingestion. Findings suggest that ingestion of CH-19 Sweet stimulates vasodilation in humans.

Oxygen consumption in the CH-19 group was also significantly higher than that of the control California-Wandar control group with the difference being most significant 40 minutes after ingestion. However there was no difference in respiratory quotient observed between both groups suggesting that CH-19 Sweet has an no effect on fat or carbohydrate metabolism but only on energy expenditure; and CH-19 Sweet increased oxygen consumption, suggesting it has effects on energy consumption.

Effects of CH-19 on body temperature and oxygen consumption are thought to be caused by capsiate, which is similar to capsaicin without being pungent. Capsiate and capsaicin have been found to increase thermogenesis and suppress body fat accumulation in animal studies. Findings taken together from this study suggest that capsiate can be used as a component in diet foods, according to the researchers.  

Even though the subjects ingested considerable amounts of capsiate they felt little to no pungency and were able to consume it easily. This is the first known study on the physiological effects of a natural product containing considerable amounts of a non-pungent capsaicin analog, and findings suggest that it may be applied as a therapeutic tool for obesity, according to the researchers.