Weight loss tips & tricks: hot chili pepper prevents obesity

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A UK research has revealed that hot chili peppers could help with weight loss as consuming it could help stimulate the stomach's receptors to signal the feeling of fullness.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide's Center for Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Diseases have found that chili pepper can be a potential treatment for obesity as it can stimulate the stomach receptors into telling the brain that the body is full. Their findings are published in the journal PLOS ONE.

According to Associate Professor Amanda Page, senior research fellow in the University of Adelaide's School of Medicine and lead author of the study, they have discovered that the capsaicin in chili can be used to activate the TRPV1 receptors in the stomach.

"The stomach stretches when it is full, which activates nerves in the stomach to tell the body that it has had enough food. We found that this activation is regulated through hot chili pepper or TRPV1 receptors," Page said in a news release published in the university's website.

She added that the signal of TRPV1 receptors can be diminished through too much fat, similar to the high fat diet consumed by obese patients.

According to Dr. Stephen Kentish, coauthor of the research, the results of their studies will help in the research and development of new treatment methods.

"It's exciting that we now know more about the TRPV1 receptor pathway and that the consumption of capsaicin may be able to prevent overeating through an action on nerves in the stomach," Dr. Kentish said via Science Daily.  

He added that further research will look into the reason why TRPV1 receptors are "de-sensitized" by diets with high fat content and how to go about reversing the effects of it. In addition to obesity treatment, the study could also be used for weight gain prevention. 

"The next stage of research will involve investigation of the mechanisms behind TRPV1 receptor activation with the aim of developing a more palatable therapy," Dr. Kentish said in the report by Science Daily.

As for using the chili for weight loss treatments, ABC News reports that researchers will look into simulating the effect of the chili without the spice's "hotness."

"What we really want to do is we really want to be able to develop ... potentially look at ways of exploiting this chemical without the hotness that's perceived when you eat food laden with chilli, so it's more just about making it more able to be consumed by a vast majority of people," Kentish told the outlet.