Latest news with #DrPaigeCunningham
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The compound in hot chili peppers that can boost your metabolism
Experts suggest that capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers hot, can boost metabolism. A study led by Dr. Paige Cunningham found that eating rate slowed and food intake reduced as spiciness increased. Clinical dietician Haley Robinson notes capsaicin increases core temperature and metabolism, potentially burning calories faster, with research indicating it could boost metabolism by up to 5 percent. Patricia Bridget Lane suggests capsaicin may affect the hypothalamus, controlling hunger and fullness, but there's no proof that extremely hot peppers have significantly higher benefits. Harvard researchers found that regular chili pepper consumption may lower the risk of death from heart disease, with daily consumption associated with a 14 percent lower risk of death, but Dr. Thomas Holland cautions about the frequent consumption of high-fat, high-calorie foods alongside chili peppers.
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Could eating spicy foods help you with weight loss?
Could eating spicy foods help you lose weight? "Simply adding chili pepper to a meal — just enough to make it spicy without changing how much you like it — might help reduce how much you eat," Dr. Paige Cunningham, a postdoctoral scholar at Pennsylvania State University, told Verywell Health. Cunningham was the lead author of a recent study published earlier this year in the journal Food Quality and Preference. In it, the researchers found that eating rate slowed and food intake was reduced when perceived spiciness increased. In chili peppers, there is capsaicin, the compound that gives them their heat. The compound is believed to trigger heat production in living organisms and boost metabolism. 'Capsaicin helps increase your core temperature, increase metabolism and helps burn calories faster,' Piedmont Atlanta Hospital clinical dietician Haley Robinson explained in a statement. 'Research has shown that it could increase your metabolism by up to 5 percent.' Chiles and other spices might also affect hunger, with people who eat spice-rich diets more likely to eat less during the course of the day. 'There's some research that capsaicin acts on the hypothalamus — the part of the brain that controls hunger and fullness,' Patricia Bridget Lane, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic, said. Notably, there's no research proving that eating majorly hot Carolina reapers or ghost peppers, which contain more capsaicin, have higher benefits. Capsaicin is the main ingredient for cayenne pepper and chili powder, but other versions have been found to have benefits. Researchers at Harvard say people who regularly eat chili peppers appear to lower their risk of dying from heart disease and that people who ate spicy foods nearly daily had a 14 percent lower risk of death than people who did so just once a week. But, also take benefits with a grain of salt and be careful about how much you consume. 'Chili peppers are often consumed with high-fat, high-calorie foods, meaning that more frequent chili pepper consumption is tied to more frequent high-calorie food consumption,' Dr. Thomas Holland, a physician-scientists at Rush University, previously told .
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Eat a spicy meal for lunch to lose weight
Eating a spicy lunch could help people eat less and lose weight, a new study suggests. Scientists believe that the spices trick the body into wanting less food and cause people to eat a fifth less than if they have a milder meal. Heat from chillies cause an 'oral burn' sensation that leads a person to eat at a slower rate and subsequently to have a smaller portion, US scientists found. Some 130 participants were served two dishes of either beef chilli or chicken tikka, with a mixture of hot or sweet paprika. They were recorded eating and asked to consume as much or as little as they wanted, with data showing they ate 11 per cent less of the noticeably spicier beef chilli and 18 per cent less of the spicier chicken tikka. 'Spiciness slowed people down' Dr Paige Cunningham, a food scientist at Pennsylvania State University, led the research and initially thought the drop in consumption could be down to people enjoying it less because it was too spicy, or drinking more water to cope and therefore feeling more full quicker. However, both of these explanations were ruled out. She told The Telegraph: 'They liked the meals equally and drank similar amounts of water. Instead, they differed in eating rate. 'Increasing spiciness slowed people down and we know from other research slowing down eating typically reduces how much people eat.' She said the sensation of 'oral burn' is probably causing the reduction in appetite. The study authors wrote: 'These experiments identify a non-textural manipulation that can be used to slow eating rate and reduce ad libitum intake without adversely impacting food pleasure.' While the long-term impacts of the spicy diet remain unknown, there is reason to believe a spicy lunch could have significant benefits for the waistline. Dr Cunningham said: 'For a single meal, increasing spiciness reduces energy intake. 'If this reduction in energy intake is maintained over time, which is a big if, this might help individuals reduce energy intake, which could help with weight maintenance or even weight loss. 'That said, this study didn't investigate weight management or weight loss directly, so we can't make any claims how these effects might persist over time.' The scientists write: 'The current study provides evidence that, through its influence on oral processing and consumption behaviour, this common ingredient can be beneficial for weight management and reduce risk of energy overconsumption at meals.' 'Goldilock's Zone' for spice The study also identified a 'Goldilock's Zone' for how spicy a dish should be to benefit from the oral burn without being unpleasantly fiery. Dr Cunningham and her team found that a dish which scored between 54 and 68 out of 100 for heat was ideal, adding that this will vary depending on the person and their own individual spice tolerance. For example, while some may find a Madras or Vindaloo within their own Goldilocks Zone, for other more delicate pallets a Korma or Pasanda may suffice. The scientists only investigated the role of chilli in this study as capsaicin – the active ingredient in chilli and paprika – is well known for its ability to trigger oral burn. However, other herbs and spices, including horseradish, wasabi, mustard and even garlic, may also replicate the findings. 'The extent to which these foods might cause enough oral burn to slow eating and reduce intake could be interesting to investigate as well,' the scientists write. The study was published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.
