Cayenne, from the Greek "to bite", comes from the family of hot
peppers used for flavoring foods. The most important substance in
cayenne is a group of chemicals collectively called capsaicin. Pure
capsaicin is extremely toxic and would burn a hole right through you.
Even one drop in 100,000 dilution can raise blisters on the skin. These
powerful natural chemicals are new darlings of the pharmaceutical
companies because capsaicinoid drugs are now being developed for a whole
range of health problems.
Recent research has discovered a new
receptor in our nervous system called the "capsaicin receptor." It
allows capsaicin to act as a unique anti-inflammatory. The FDA has
recently approved a capsaicin spray, which, when sprayed up the nose
relieves headaches that are resistant to other anti-inflammatories such
as aspirin and ibuprofen. Because it is made from a food, and not a
drug, you can now buy various versions of this spray over-the-counter at
your local pharmacy.
Capsaicin applied locally to the skin has
anti-inflammatory effects at other sites in the body, remote from where
it was applied. There are now creams available that contain capsaicin.
Obesity-induced
inflammation contributes to the development of metabolic syndrome,
which causes insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease,
and cardiovascular disease. In one study, dietary capsaicin lowered
fasting glucose, lowered fasting insulin, and markedly reduced the
impairment of glucose tolerance in mice.
Capsaicin Promotes Fat Loss
Capsaicin
has numerous other effects on weight control. By the 1990s, controlled
studies were showing that red pepper in meals dramatically increases
thermogenesis, and energy use. In the brain, it causes stimulation of
catecholamines, and increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system
that regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Simply,
capsaicin energizes the body, but not in the same way as a stimulant,
such as caffeine.
Red pepper also reduces appetite. A 2009 review
of most of the controlled studies, concluded that capsaicinoids have
been shown to reduce food intake, increase thermogenesis, and increase
lipolysis (fat-use for fuel). The only adverse outcome is gastric
discomfort, associated with taking too much too soon.
Probably the
most important effect of capsaicin is that it activates an enzyme with a
complicated name. In simple terms, it releases fat for use as muscle
fuel, and then excretes the fat from the body. It also inhibits
formation of new body fat and new fat cells. As a bonus, it also
inhibits formation of cholesterol and triglycerides.