Does Capsaicin Work As A Bodybuilding Supplement?

By Phil Sims

Does Capsaicin as a bodybuilding supplement work?  Every product in the market claims to encourage fat loss. The public infatuation and obsession with fat loss are cashed on by growing number of manufacturers. However bodybuilders need to be careful. They are most careful about the bodybuilding supplements and their nutrition because their bodies are their fortunes and identities. Many favor organic bodybuilding supplement as they dislike ingesting eating any artificial materials into their bodies. Many bodybuilders swear by capsaicin, a popular fat loss supplement. But exactly how effective is it?

The stuff that makes chili peppers hot is capsaicin. As an irritant for humans and animals, it is best known for the burning sensation in any tissue that it touches. The characteristics of pure capsaicin are colorless, odorless and a texture varying from crystalline to waxy. The chemical riot agent pepper spray has capsaicin as the active ingredient. It is used to “heat” food on the dinner table. It is used as a method of fat loss and a supplement in bodybuilding nutrition in the weight rooms.

Studies Show…

Fat cells can cause fat cells to self destruct as found by scientists in Taiwan. Scientists used preadipocytes as their subjects in laboratories which were cells developing into fat cells. A capsaicin extract was created in the lab infused the fat, contained in test tubes, with the extract for eight days. They made the extract fresh every other day. As a result, the preadipocytes exposed to the capsaicin died off before developing into fat cells. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry published the results of the experiment.

The effect of Capsaicin on the bodybuilding diet is still debated. As organic bodybuilding supplement, there is no authority to regulate it. Thus, any claims made by this are not supported by the “conclusive evidence” of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The results of scientific experiments are promising especially those connecting capsaicin to weight loss. Apart from capsaicin preventing the formation of new fat cells, it also decreases the appetite and reduces body fat.

Humans were used in another study to test the effects of capsaicin on human body fat over a two week period. Before the study, the metabolic rate of each subject was measured. Their weight, body fat and metabolic was measured every half hour after taking the extract or after taking placebo tablets.

Subjects who took the capsaicin experienced a substantial a rise in mean metabolic rate at 30 and 60 minutes after taking the extract making it an organic bodybuilding supplement. 70% of the subjects who took the capsaicin extract had a reduced body fat. Those subjects who had a higher fat content at the beginning of the study had the greatest effect of reduction of body fat. Based on hand held body fat measuring devices, they experienced a loss in fat, not water.

Technorati Tags: bodybuilding supplements, capsaicin