Posted on 03/05/2007 5:25:02 PM PST by blam
Source: American Chemical Society
Date: March 5, 2007
Red Pepper: Hot Stuff For Fighting Fat?
Science Daily — Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin — the natural compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick — can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of the ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
In the report, Gow-Chin Yen and Chin-Lin Hsu cite previous research suggesting that obesity can be reduced by preventing immature fat cells (adipocytes) from developing into mature cells.
Past research also linked capsaicin to a decrease in the amount of fat tissue and decreased blood-fat levels. With that knowledge, the researchers tested capsaicin’s effects on pre-adipocytes and adipocytes growing in laboratory cultures.
They found that capsaicin prevented pre-adipocytes from filling with fat and becoming full-fledged fat cells. The effects occurred at levels just slightly greater than those found in the stomach fluid of an individual eating a typical Indian or Thai diet, the researchers noted. Capsaicin worked by providing a biochemical signal that made fat cells undergo apoptosis, a mechanism in which cells self-destruct.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Chemical Society.
bttt
With any luck, I plan to be selling plenty of baskets that look like that this summer :) And cooking up just as many!
New Mexico chile ping
This is a mildly interesting petri dish experiment. If obesity mice given capsaicin ended up weighing less than the placebo group, that would be news.
Just red? What about green?! LOL!!
Indeed, there was a New Mexico Highlands Univ. study c. 1977 that a friend of mine -- then the Director of Medicine at a major urban hospital -- introduced me to. It demonstrated how the active enzyme in capsicums actually consumed chloresterol in the blood.
There is, in fact, a helluva lot more evidence about the beneficial characteristics of blessed capsicums than there is about "global warming".
Don't forget Sambal Oelek & Castilllo Red & Green Habanero sauce. UMMMM!!! I can feel my lips swelling up just thinking about it.
WOW - the trinity......
Man! Diet Coke out the nose burns! Thanks a lot!
"WOW - the trinity......"
Yup. Though at 6 0r 7 bucks a jar, it can be expensive.
There's a red hot sauce in our part of the country called "Cajun Chef". It beats Tabasco hands down.
What about pepperoncini?
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