Posted on 06/02/2010 8:56:02 AM PDT by decimon
Scientists are reporting new evidence that capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick, may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body. Their study, which could lead to new treatments for obesity, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.
Jong Won Yun and colleagues point out that obesity is a major public health threat worldwide, linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other health problems. Laboratory studies have hinted that capsaicin may help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue, and lowering fat levels in the blood. Nobody, however, knows exactly how capsaicin might trigger such beneficial effects.
In an effort to find out, the scientists fed high-fat diets with or without capsaicin to lab rats used to study obesity. The capsaicin-treated rats lost 8 percent of their body weight and showed changes in levels of at least 20 key proteins found in fat. The altered proteins work to break down fats. "These changes provide valuable new molecular insights into the mechanism of the antiobesity effects of capsaicin," the scientists say.
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ARTICLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE "Proteomic Analysis for Antiobesity Potential of Capsaicin on White Adipose Tissue in Rats Fed with a High Fat Diet"
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/pr901175w
CONTACT: Jong Won Yun, Ph.D. Department of Biotechnology Daegu University Kyungsan, Kyungbuk Korea Phone: 82-53-850-6556 Fax: 82-53-850-6559 Email: jwyun@daegu.ac.kr
In fact, it such an effective pain medication...
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Interesting, I’d never heard that. Is it taken internally or applied topically for pain relief?
The product I'm familiar with, Equi-Bloc (sp?), is a topical salve. I believe that this was also the product that caused problems with several horses in the last Olympics, as it's banned by the World Equine governing bodies. I'm not sure if there are other products with alternative delivery mechanisms, like nutritional supplements or injectables.
Maybe another reason why I am not a super model. Quit eating spicy food too early in life ;-)
P.S. If you're a type 2 diabetic or have weight problems, and you don't like red peppers or hot sauce, then trust me. I didn't like either until Vietnam. It's one of the few acquired addictions that doesn't cause harm, IMHO.
Cooking in lard will do that...
I love spicy food. My husband loves it even more. This is good news!
Food isnt edible without fire/chile
And Nipa Palm (young coconut) viniger.
Only processed foods flare my diverculi..
Oh and coffee and caffeine tea.
Each to his own ails.
Nuts/strawberries/hot chili ect no problemo.
I’ll tell you one thing; they didn’t do this study in Houston. Never seen so many grossly obese people in my life.
Unless Bluebell comes out with a chili-pepper ice cream, that trend will continue.;)
Blue Bell Ice Cream is pretty good, but Tillamook Ice Cream in the Pacific NW is at least as good.
Every seen how many calories are in a flour tortilla? It’s loaded with them.
I’m sure you’ve had Texas Sheet Cake. It is cloyingly sweet,yet delicious. The last time I made one, I decided to add 1/4 tsp. to the cake. The result was the perfect blend of sweet and heat. Right at the back of the throat heat> Delicious!
cayenne. nothing like leaving the secret ingredient OUT! duh
Yes I have, but not since I stopped having bagels almost daily for breakfast, i.e. weekdays. I still use plenty of hot sauce and red peppers.
Interesting. Thanks for posting this...
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