‘Tis the season for excess calories from Christmas cookies and other holiday treats. With parties and celebrations both at work and after hours, it’s hard to keep daily calorie intake under control. But researchers at Purdue University may have a solution: cayenne pepper. A study conducted at Purdue earlier this year shows that eating cayenne pepper can help reduce hunger and calorie intake.
According to Richard Mattes, a professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue, researchers found that “consuming red pepper can help manage appetite and burn more calories after a meal, especially for individuals who do not consume the spice regularly." The Purdue study found a decrease in appetite for fatty, salty, and sweet foods.
Unlike previous studies on capsaicin, the component that gives chile peppers their heat, the Purdue study involved a small amount of red pepper. The Purdue study measured the effects of half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper—an amount that is small enough to add to holiday meals.
Adding cayenne pepper to your meals is quick and easy. But this is just a small change—it isn’t a replacement for eating right and exercise.
To find out more about the study conducted at Purdue University, see http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110425MattesPepper.html
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