Alternative & Holistic
Raise Your Metabolism With Pepper Power
Taken from "Six Ways to Rev Your Metabolism" by Louise Rafkin
Health, The Essential Women's Health Guide 2001.

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about revving up metabolism to lose weight. The theory is that by speeding up you resting metabolic rate (RMR)--the amount of energy you need to keep organs functioning and muscles fed--you'll burn more calories doing nothing. Although your genes determine your metabolism, there are some things you can do to boost your RMR, including getting pregnant, getting a fever, and moving to a colder climate. But a new study provides a less drastic way to increase metabolism. The study claims that eating chili peppers can raise metabolism.

A group of Japanese women raised their metabolism by 30% after eating capsaicin-rich peppers with meals. According to Janet Walberg Rankin, a professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech University and an expert on metabolism, capsaicin, a compound found in peppers such as cayenne and jalapeno, stimulates metabolism by increasing the body's release of stress hormones like adrenaline. One pepper-laden meal a day can burn an extra 20 calories a day or so.