Black Pepper to Fight Fat

---

If you’re looking for a quick weight loss solution, a key ingredient in your cupboard may be part of the solution.  A new study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found that the compound, piperine, that gives black pepper its’ characteristic taste may aid with quick weight loss by blocking the formation of new fat cells. It looks like adding black pepper into our diets may help to decrease the risk of obesity.

Is Quick Weight Loss This Easy?

The scientists from this animal study note that previous research has found that piperine reduces fat levels in the body among other health benefits.  Piperine has been used for centuries to treat multiple health conditions such as gastrointestinal (stomach) problems, pain and inflammation among other health conditions.  Even though piperine has been used for centuries in Eastern medicine, scientists have not determined how piperine works to provide relief from these conditions.  The purpose of the most recent study of piperine was to determine the way in which piperine works at the molecular level.   What the scientists found was that piperine interferes with the genes that are responsible for the formation of new fat cells.  This helps to set up a reaction that helps to keep fat levels in check in the body.  The findings from this study, while preliminary, and not conducted on humans, suggest that incorporating piperine or black pepper extract in our diets may help to decrease the risk of obesity and help to fight obesity-related diseases.

The findings from this current study support the findings from a 2011 study published in the Indian Journal of Pharmacology. The 2011 study was conducted to develop strategies in order to decrease the risk of obesity worldwide. The subjects for this study were rats that were fed high fat diets. The rats that were fed high fat diets had an increased fat cell mass and increased body weight compared to the rats that were not fed high fat diets.  The researchers found that the rats that were treated with piperine had a significant decrease in fat mass and overall body weight.  This, they said, proved that piperine has anti-obese properties. Additionally, treatment with piperine reduced triglycerides, total cholesterol, VLDL and LDL levels and increased HDL cholesterol.  These results also show that piperine, a main component of black pepper, can help to reduce the risk of obesity and can help to lower lipid levels in the body.

Incorporating Black Pepper in Our Diets

As a society, we’re always looking for natural foods to add to our diets that may help with quick weight loss and help to decrease our risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases.  While preliminary, and the studies were conducted on animals, these findings can give people something to think about.  However, one of the drawbacks of this study is that the researchers did not identify how much pepper is needed in our diets to reap the fat burning effects; this should be investigated in further studies.  In the meantime adding a dash of pepper to salads, pasta and soup (or anything else you can think of!) certainly couldn’t hurt in the fight against obesity.

---

1. Prev:Obesity and Arthritis: How Are They Connected?
2. Next:Why are These Super Fruits So Super