Secret to cutting calories is hiding in your spice rack: Study spills the beans
The study suggests that spicy foods not only make meals more enjoyable but also help you eat less. This is thanks to capsaicin, the compound in hot peppers that creates a burning sensation on the tongue, encouraging people to feel satisfied and finish their meals sooner.
The study authors selected 130 adults for the study and separated them into groups. Each group was given identical meals to consume with one key difference - some contained regular sweet paprika, while others used hot paprika that created a noticeable burning sensation.
The researchers noticed that people who consumed the spicy version of the meal naturally started consuming less by taking smaller and slower bites of their food. They bodies, when confronted with the spice, naturally reacted and changed their consumption pattern, without any conscious efforts from their end. Also read | Is spicy food unhealthy? Dietitian says, not really A compound in hot peppers can slow down your food intake.(Unsplash) How spice can reduce your food intake
When the body encounters capsaicin, it naturally slows down consumption speed, giving more time to process the mouthful. People having spicy food take small and less frequent bites, reducing their calorie intake. Eating slower helps in consuming fewer calories, thus fast tracking the weight loss journey. Spicy food helps in achieving this eating pattern without much conscious effort or behaviour modification.
In the paper, the study authors noted, 'Properties of food can be strategically modified to influence oral processing behavior and slow eating, which in turn can reduce food and energy intake. Specifically, we show across different foods that increasing the oral burn of a meal by adding dried chili pepper not only influences oral processing, but that it also decreases consumption.' Also read | Is eating spicy food causing you mental health issues? Doctor explains how it affects your brain and gut health
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