Chilli peppers could be next diet formula

CAPSAICIN, the chief ingredient in chilli peppers, could provide the answer to the global problem of obesity and related health concerns.

A study by University of Wyoming researchers shows capsaicin acts as chief 'agonist' (initiator of a response) of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel protein and suppresses high-fat-diet-induced obesity. This suggests dietary capsaicin may help prevent and manage obesity and other related health complications such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases, although carefully-controlled clinical trials supporting the findings need to be undertaken.

The group of researchers from the laboratory of Dr Baskaran Thyagarajan, known as "Baskilab," looked into how dietary capsaicin may stimulate thermogenesis and energy burning by activating its receptors, which are expressed in white and brown fat cells. They found that 0.01% of capsaicin in the total high fat diet prevented high-fat-diet-induced weight gain in trials with wild type mice, but not in mice that genetically lacked TRPV1.

The source of heat in chilli peppers, capsaicin may have a role in fighting weight gain by causing thermogenesis

The team said that dietary capsaicin induces browning of white adipose tissue and stimulates thermogenesis to counteract obesity.

Dietary capsaicin did not modify food or water intake in mice. It did increase the metabolic activity and energy expenditure in wild type mice fed a high-fat diet but not in mice that genetically lack TRPV1, according to Vivek Krishnan, a graduate student working in Dr Thyagarajan's laboratory at the University of Wyoming's School of Pharmacy.  

"The main goal of our work is to expand the knowledge of the mechanism by which capsaicin antagonises obesity, as well as to advance the proof of principle of the anti-obesity potential of dietary capsaicin. Next, we'll focus on our longer-term goal of developing TRPV1 agonists as new drug molecules to prevent and treat obesity," said Baskilab researchers.

Obesity remains a major global issue. With one third of the world’s population currently overweight or obese based on estimates by the World Health Organisation, scientists have been looking for ways to address this problem.  

"Obesity is caused by an imbalance between calorie intake and energy dissipation. In our bodies, white fat cells store energy and brown fat cells serve as thermogenic (heat produced by burning fat) machinery to burn stored fat. Eating calorie-rich food and a lack of physical activity cause an imbalance in metabolism that leads to obesity," Krishnan said.

The Baskilab research team said developing a natural dietary supplement as a strategy to combat obesity can be easily advanced to human clinical trials

"We envision a nanoparticle-based sustained-release formulation of capsaicin, which is currently under development in our laboratory. In turn, this will advance a novel dietary supplement-based approach to prevent and treat one of the life-threatening diseases, obesity and its associated complications in humans," the team said.

The group's study was presented during the Biophysical Society's 59th Annual Meeting held in Baltimore, Md., last February 7 to 11. It is expected to be a major focus of future healthcare priorities for both the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense.

Baskilab has submitted a patent application for the drug delivery aspect of the discovery.

(Photo © Johanna Goodyear | Dreamstime Stock Photos)