know what you must be thinking: “Of course hot peppers can help me lose weight, when I put them in my food I can barely eat one bite! Not being able to eat food equals weight loss. Duh!”
Well, this may be true, but who wants to starve themselves to fit into their favorite pair of jeans? And, what if I told you that you don’t even have to put hot peppers in your food for them help you lose a pant size?
That’s right, much of the scientific research performed with red hot peppers is done in an encapsulated form, and is found to be more effective than when it’s placed in food. Yes, there are studies with capsaicin (the active ingredient in hot red pepper) added to food, but it comes with compliance limitations – people can’t eat it on a regular basis because it’s too hot. Also, it’s suggested that the effects of capsaicin accumulate over time to produce greater results. Research subjects who take extracts of this fiery fat burner in a capsule form show more benefits for energy expenditure and weight loss than those who take it in a meal (Yoshioka M et al, 2004).
But, this all comes within the context of a healthy eating pattern; you can’t binge and purge, or add hot red pepper capsules to a diet of coffee and donuts and expect it to make a difference. You also have to exercise. No dietary supplement will ever cause the weight to melt off you if you don’t put in some additional physical work. It doesn’t matter if it’s training for your local 5K run or if it’s kicking your own butt in bootcamp class, you still need to make an effort to lose unsightly body fat.