Spicy Foods Can Help Lose Weight, Here's An Explanation

JAKARTA - Consuming spicy food is not only a matter of taste, it turns out that spicy taste can also provide benefits in the weight loss process.

Compounds such as capsaicin in chili can increase metabolism, suppress appetite, and even help a person eat more slowly and in less amount.

This effect makes spicy food one of the potential natural ways to reduce daily calorie intake. This fact is evidenced by a study from Pennsylvania State University that adding certain levels of roughness in food can affect eating behavior.

In the study, participants were given dishes such as chili con carne and masala tikka chicken peppered with various levels of sweet and spicy peppers.

Only with a slight increase in spicy taste, participants eat 11 to 18 percent fewer meals. They also eat slower than when food is less spicy," said lead researcher Paige Cunningham, PhD, quoted from the Verywell Health page.

Researchers also noted that the level of water consumption by participants did not change even though the food became spicy. This shows the spicy taste itself, not thirst, which affects the amount of food consumed.

Cunningham said adding chilies to moderate levels could be a simple way to control the portion of food.

Furthermore, capsaicin is known to have the potential as a weight loss agent, because of its ability to suppress appetite and increase calorie burning. In fact, capsaicin-based supplements are now widely sold with claims that they can help manage weight.

A nutritionist from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietics, John "Wesley" McWhorter, DrPH, RD, added that capsaicin has anti-inflammatory properties that are useful for reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

However, Cunningham reminded that although the spicy effect can make eating slower and less, it does not necessarily guarantee weight loss. Eat slowly gives the brain and intestines time to respond to feeling fullness, and this is important in eating awareness," he said.

Meanwhile, Emma M. Laing, PhD, RDN, FAND, a professor at the University of Georgia, warned that spicy food is not suitable for everyone. Some individuals with medical conditions such as stomach acid, gut irritation, or celiac disease can experience side effects after eating spicy food.

If you experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, palpitation heart, chest pain, or allergic reaction after eating spicy food, you should immediately stop consumption and consult a doctor, Laing added.

Although spicy foods can provide antioxidant benefits and support the health of the intestines, skin, and heart, people who can't eat them can still meet daily nutrients from other sources such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, non-fat protein, and healthy fats.

As an alternative to slowing down the pace of eating, McWhorter recommends creating a more social atmosphere of eating, for example by talking to friends during lunch. "Raising attention from food for a moment through chat can reduce calorie consumption to 100 calories per day," he said.