According to Richard Mattes, professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, the effects were more visible among the subjects who do not eat the peppers on the regular basis.

During the course of the study, 25 non-overweight people were observed in two groups, divided on the parameter of like and dislike of peppers, for six weeks. The consumers were analyzed with no rise in normal body temperature and burnt further calories through natural energy expenditure.

“This finding should be considered a piece of the puzzle. The idea that one small change will reverse the obesity epidemic is not true. However, if a number of small changes are added together, they may be meaningful,” he noted.

According to Mattes, “Dietary changes that don't require great effort to implement, like sprinkling red pepper on your meal, may be sustainable and beneficial in the long run, especially when paired with exercise and healthy eating.” The study also measured the effect of the spice using quantities of red peppers that is 1g to half a teaspoon that are acceptable to many consumers.

The red peppers contain capsaicin that indeed reduce the appetite, especially for food that is rich in fats, salt along with the sweet food stuffs, and catalyze the process of calorie burning.

Earlier studies have found that capsaicin; the component that gives red peppers that heat is responsible to reduce hunger and increased energy expenditure. The study is significant because it explains that by adding a small quantity of simple kitchen ingredient like a sprinkling of red peppers to one’s food, one can achieve a difficult target of curbing appetite and thereby cut calories without putting great effort.

The research findings were published in Physiology and Behaviour.

From the April 27, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News.