From famous recipes to the name of famous rock bands, red hot chilli peppers have long served as a source of inspiration. Various societies have added chili peppers to their foods for hundreds of years. Although the heat and the flavor has always drawn attention, recent interest has fallen upon their role in weight loss. Cayenne may be the most useful chili pepper in this regard.
Chilli Peppers
Chilli peppers essentially refer to the capsicum family. This family includes a number of peppers that contain capsaicin, a compound responsible for the heat found in many recipes. Chilli peppers have long featured in the recipes of many societies, especially the cuisine of Central America and Mexico.Chilli peppers essentially refer to the capsicum family. This family includes a number of peppers that contain capsaicin, a compound responsible for the heat found in many recipes. Chilli peppers have long featured in the recipes of many societies, especially the cuisine of Central America and Mexico.
Cayenne
Cayenne stands out as perhaps the most famous of the chilli peppers. Named after a town in French Guiana in South America of the same title, cayenne provides a number of health benefits and includes a variety of nutritious compounds, including vitamin A. World's Healthiest Foods note that cayenne may help reduce the symptoms of arthritis and asthma and that it provides excellent protection against free radicals. They credit capsaicin as the active compound.
Thermogenesis
Thermogenesis occurs to maintain the body's temperature, and sees fat sacrificed to produce energy and heat. The central nervous system takes the dominant role in setting the rate of this process. Capsaicin in the chilli peppers can bind to receptors in the central nervous system, increasing thermogenesis at the rate at which the body burns fat.
Evidence
Researchers from Laval University in Quebec investigated the effects of hot peppers on fat burning following the consumption of meals. The team, led by Dr Yoshioka, compared the energy expenditure and rate of fat burning in volunteers who had consumed a control meal versus those who had consumed a meal containing the peppers. The results, published in the "British Journal of Nutrition" in 1998, showed that the peppers significantly increased thermogenesis and saw the volunteers burn fat in preference to other fuels.
Expert Insight
Dr Richard Schulze, a medical herbalist whose views feature on the Healing Daily website, rates cayenne highly for the benefits it brings to the body. He highlights the spice as the most important herb you can use, explaining that it improves the effectiveness of all other herbs taken with it because it increases circulation so effectively. Healing Daily suggest introducing a sixteenth of a teaspoon of cayenne initially, before increasing the dose later.
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