If weight loss is your aim, nothing works better than a diet with relatively large amounts of protein. At least, that’s what we always thought. But since we read a study that Dutch nutritionists published in the Journal of Nutrition, we may change our point of view. Maybe the best weight-loss diet is a high-protein diet combined with capsaicin supplements.
Study
The researchers got 28 healthy subjects to stay for eight 24-hour periods in a respiration chamber, where the researchers could measure the exact amount of calories that the subjects burned. On each occasion the subjects were given different meals.
1. The subjects were given 100 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Ten percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein. For most earthlings this is a normal percentage.
2. The subjects were given 80 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Ten percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein.
3. The subjects were given 100 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Ten percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein. In addition the subjects took 2 capsules containing 40,000 Scoville heat units of pepper with each meal.
The most important bioactive substance in pepper is capsaicin [structural formula shown above]. The nutritionists used a product manufactured by Solaray. [solarayuk.co.uk]
4. The subjects were given 80 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Ten percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein. In addition the subjects took 2 capsules containing 40,000 Scoville heat units of pepper with each meal.
5. The subjects were given 100 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Twenty-five percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein. The researchers lowered the amount of carbohydrates and substituted protein.
6. The subjects were given 80 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Twenty-five percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein.
7. The subjects were given 100 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Twenty-five percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein. In addition the subjects took 2 capsules containing 40,000 Scoville heat units of pepper with each meal.
8. The subjects were given 80 percent of the amount of calories their bodies burned. Twenty-five percent of the energy in the meals consisted of protein. In addition the subjects took 2 capsules containing 40,000 Scoville heat units of pepper with each meal.
Results
The reduced calorie intake led to a 5-percent reduction of the subjects’ energy expenditure, the figure below shows. 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.
Light: calorie intake = 100 percent of calories burned; dark = calorie intake = 80 percent of calories burned.
The capsaicin supplementation prevented the subjects from feeling hungry as a result of the calorie reduction. The researchers reported even better results for the subjects on a protein-rich diet combined with capsaicin supplementation.
Conclusion
“A combination of the addition of capsaicin and carbohydrate replacement by protein with a 20 percent energy restricted diet, or carbohydrate/protein exchange alone resulted in higher energy expenditure and fullness compared with a control diet in energy balance”, the researchers wrote. “The effectiveness of the capsaicin and protein should be further evaluated in well-designed weight-loss studies in overweight and obese individuals.”
If you’re thinking of trying out capsaicin, bear in mind that not everyone reacts well to the high doses that the researchers used. Long-term use can lead to stomach and digestive tract problems. [J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Feb;26(2):319-26.]
Addition of capsaicin and exchange of carbohydrate with protein counteract energy intake restriction effects on fullness and energy expenditure.
Abstract
Energy intake restriction causes a yo-yo effect by decreasing energy expenditure (EE) and decreasing fullness. We investigated the 24-h effect of protein and capsaicin, singly or combined, on fullness and EE during 20% energy intake restriction. The 24 participants (12 male, 12 female; BMI, 25.2 ± 0.4 kg/m(2); age, 27 ± 4 y; body fat, 25.6 ± 5.7%; 3-factor eating questionnaire, F1: 6 ± 2, F2: 4 ± 2, F3: 3 ± 2) underwent eight 36-h sessions in a respiration chamber. The study had a randomized crossover design with 8 randomly sequenced conditions. The participants were fed 100 or 80% of their daily energy requirements. There were 2 control (C) conditions: 100%C and 80%C; 2 conditions with capsaicin (Caps): 100%Caps and 80%Caps; 2 conditions with elevated protein (P): 100%P and 80%P; and 2 conditions with a mixture of protein and capsaicin (PCaps): 100%PCaps and 80%PCaps. Appetite profile, EE, and substrate oxidation were monitored. Compared with 100%C, the 80%C group had expected negative energy-balance effects with respect to total EE, diet-induced thermogenesis, and fullness, whereas the 80%Caps diet counteracted these effects, and the 80%P and 80%PCaps diets exceeded these effects (P < 0.01). In energy balance and negative energy balance, fat balance was more negative in the 80%Caps, P, and PCaps groups than in the 80%C group (P < 0.05) and respiratory quotient values were lower. A negative protein balance was prevented with the 80%P and 80%PCaps diets compared with the 80%C diet. Our results suggest that protein and capsaicin, consumed singly or mixed, counteracted the energy intake restriction effects on fullness and EE. During energy restriction, protein and capsaicin promoted a negative fat balance and protein treatments also prevented a negative protein balance. PMID: 23406619 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23406619
