Turn Up Your Metabolic Furnace with these 2 Ingredients

Turn Up Your Metabolic Furnace with these 2 Ingredients

by: Robbie Durand

Its been well established that a high protein diet is essential for weight loss as its helps prevent lean muscle mass loss. Additionally, the high protein-induced satiety may be due to elevated (especially ketogenic) plasma amino acid concentrations, diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), hunger suppression, and possibly increased anorexic hormone concentrations. The protein-induced energy expenditure may be due to protein-related, high diet induced thermogenesis of 20–30% due to protein turnover, urea production, and gluconeogenesis. Moreover, a protein diet stimulates fat oxidation, partly due to the higher energy expenditure leading to faster glycogen depletion, especially overnight, and thus greater fat oxidation.

If your dieting, you may want to add a fat burner that contains capsaicin, the pungent ingredient of red pepper, has been reported to increase EE and DIT, probably due to β-adrenergic stimulation and a decrease in the respiratory quotient (RQ), implying a shift in substrate oxidation from carbohydrate to fat oxidation. The addition of capsaicin to a diet has also been shown to increase satiety and decrease appetite and cumulative food intake.

The reduction in energy expenditure as a result of calorie intake reduction did not happen when the subjects took capsaicin or increased their protein intake. The combination of a protein-rich diet and capsaicin had even better results. The capsaicin supplementation prevented the subjects from feeling hungry as a result of the calorie reduction.

Researchers investigated the 24-h effect of protein and capsaicin, singly or combined, on fullness and energy expenditure during 20% energy intake restriction. The 24 participants (12 male, 12 female); underwent eight 36-h sessions in a respiration chamber to measure fat metabolism. The study had a randomized crossover design with 8 randomly sequenced conditions. The participants were fed:- 100 or 80% of their daily energy requirements. The 8 conditions in which subjects either received capsaicin, protein, or a combination of both. Appetite profile, energy expenditure, and substrate oxidation were monitored. At the end of the study, the reduced calorie intake led to a 5-percent reduction of the subjects’ energy expenditure. The reduction in energy expenditure as a result of calorie intake reduction did not happen when the subjects took capsaicin or increased their protein intake. The combination of a protein-rich diet and capsaicin had even better results. The capsaicin supplementation prevented the subjects from feeling hungry as a result of the calorie reduction. These results suggest that protein and capsaicin, consumed singly or mixed, counteracted the energy intake restriction effects on fullness and energy expenditure.

In summary, a combination of the addition of capsaicin and carbohydrate replacement by protein with a 20% energy-restricted diet, or carbohydrate/protein exchange alone resulted in higher energy expenditure and fullness compared with a control diet in energy balance. Fat balance was more negative in the capsaicin addition plus carbohydrate/protein exchange compared with a control energy-restricted diet. Therefore, a combination of protein and capsaicin, or capsaicin or protein alone, may at least maintain normal levels of energy expenditure and fullness during energy restriction.

Lejeune MP, Westerterp KR, Adam TC, Luscombe-Marsh ND, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, 24-h satiety, and energy and substrate metabolism during a high-protein diet and measured in a respiration chamber. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83:89–94.

Schoeller DA, van Santen E, Peterson DW, Dietz W, Jaspan J, Klein PD. Total body water measurement in humans with 18O and 2H labeled water. Am J Clin Nutr. 1980;33:2686–93.

Yoshioka M, Doucet E, Drapeau V, Dionne I, Tremblay A . Combined effects of red pepper and caffeine consumption on 24 h energy balance in subjects given free access to foods. Br J Nutr. 2001;85:203–11.

Yoshioka M, Lim K, Kikuzato S, Kiyonaga A, Tanaka H, Shindo M, Suzuki M. Effects of red-pepper diet on the energy metabolism in men. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1995;41:647–56.

Yoshioka M, St-Pierre S, Suzuki M, Tremblay A. Effects of red pepper added to high-fat and high-carbohydrate meals on energy metabolism and substrate utilization in Japanese women. Br J Nutr. 1998;80:503–10.

Ludy MJ, Mattes RD. The effects of hedonically acceptable red pepper doses on thermogenesis and appetite. Physiol Behav. 2011;102:251–8.

Lejeune MP, Kovacs EM, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Effect of capsaicin on substrate oxidation and weight maintenance after modest body-weight loss in human subjects. Br J Nutr. 2003;90:651–9.

Yoshioka M, St-Pierre S, Drapeau V, Dionne I, Doucet E, Suzuki M, Tremblay A. Effects of red pepper on appetite and energy intake. Br J Nutr. 1999;82:115–23.

Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Lemmens SG, Westerterp KR Dietary protein: its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. Br J Nutr. 2012;108 Suppl 2:S105–12.