Cayenne pepper, a fiery spice derived from the Capsicum annuum plant, has long been a staple in cuisines around the world and has been used in medicine for thousands of years. Some people claim that cayenne pepper may help you lose weight by curbing your appetite and boosting your metabolism. The main active ingredient in cayenne peppers is capsaicin, which is responsible for their spicy taste and color. Capsaicin may also have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pain-relieving properties that could help fight certain conditions. However, there are more important weight loss methods to consider. While proponents tout its potential to boost metabolism and suppress appetite, it's crucial to examine the science-backed evidence to determine its true efficacy.
Nutritional Profile of Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne peppers have a fairly rich nutritional composition, including many antioxidants that are beneficial for your health. A tablespoon of about 5 grams of cayenne pepper includes:
- Calories: 17
- Fat: 1 gram
- Carb: 3 grams
- Fiber: 1.4 grams
- Protein: 0.6 grams
- Vitamin A: 44% RDI
- Vitamin E: 8 % RDI
- Vitamin C: 7% RDI
- Vitamin B6: 6% RDI
- Vitamin K: 5% RDI
- Manganese: 5% RDI
- Potassium: 3% RDI
- Riboflavin: 3% RDI
Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne pepper, gives it healing properties. At the same time, cayenne pepper also offers a spicy flavor. The spiciness of cayenne pepper depends on the amount of capsaicin contained in its composition. The more capsaicin a chili pepper contains, the hotter it gets.
The Claimed Weight Loss Benefits: A Closer Look
Some people claim that capsaicin may help boost certain bodily functions associated with weight loss. However, very little research suggests that capsaicin is effective for weight loss. A 2021 study found that capsaicin may contribute to overall weight loss by:
- Promoting internal fat-burning processes
- Increasing feelings of fullness
- Increasing how many calories you burn
- Reducing food consumption
A 2017 review also found that capsaicin may help activate brown fat, a type of body fat that helps your body maintain warmth in a process called thermogenesis. This may contribute to burning calories. Lastly, a 2018 study found that taking 4 milligrams (mg) of capsaicin supplements for 12 weeks helped decrease body fat percentage.
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Appetite Suppression
Cayenne pepper can act as an appetite suppressant, reducing hunger so you eat less and feel full for longer. A review in Biologia Futura found that capsaicin and pepper extract can reduce the sensation of hunger, which may help ward off overeating. Many studies show that the compound capsaicin in cayenne pepper has the ability to help suppress appetite. However, peppers are not entirely understood, but one study has shown that it reduces the production of the hunger hormone named ghrelin. People using the compound capsaicin eat less food during the day than those who did not. In addition, the subjects of this study also reported feeling fuller despite fewer calories consumed.
Metabolism Boost
Capsaicin contained in cayenne pepper has metabolism-boosting properties and helps increase the amount of heat your body produces, so you can burn more calories each day. Cayenne pepper works to boost your body's metabolism through a diet-induced thermogenesis, increasing your metabolism. A study using cayenne pepper shows that people who eat a breakfast containing capsaicin and medium-chain triglyceride oil burn 51% more calories in that meal, compared with those who didn't. Although capsaicin boosts metabolism, the overall effect is minimal.
In another study, people who eat 1 gram of red cayenne pepper burn only 10 extra calories within 4 and a half hours, compared with those who didn't. People who regularly use cayenne pepper may not find its benefits to the body over time, as the body has adapted to the effects of the chili.
Scientific Evidence: Supplements vs. Cayenne Pepper
Despite these positive results, it’s important to remember that research examines the effects of capsaicin supplements, not cayenne pepper. There’s no determined amount of cayenne pepper that may have weight loss benefits. The only recorded weight loss benefits of cayenne pepper occur when taking capsaicin supplements. However, no amount has been determined. For instance, a 2022 review found the amounts in current research range from 6 to 135 mg, while a 2018 study reported some benefits with 4 mg. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates supplements, it’s important to note that the FDA doesn’t standardize supplement dosages. When buying capsaicin supplements, look for third-party verification from companies like NSF International or USP to ensure they’re from a reputable source.
Incorporating Cayenne Pepper into Your Diet
You can add cayenne pepper to your diet in a few ways, but no research has determined the best way to use it for weight loss. You can add cayenne powder to water, smoothies, and other beverages. You can also cook the cayenne pepper, but if you don’t like the taste, try adding it to dishes that are already flavorful, such as curries, stews, and chilis. Adding cayenne pepper to your food and drinks may be easier than you think, here are our favourite ways to add a little spice:
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- Sprinkle dried cayenne over homemade potato wedges or fries, we love the sweet and spicy flavours of our sweet potato fries;
- Add a pinch to a smoothie, juice or even hot chocolate;
- Flavour home-made hummus and dips by adding a final flourish of cayenne pepper;
- Stir into a curry, veggie casserole, soup or chowder;
- Sprinkle on to an omelette or Spanish tortilla;
- Add to savoury bakes like our cheesy savoury biscuits or our classic cheese scones.
The Master Cleanse and Other Fad Diets
The Master Cleanse is a diet that lasts 3 to 10 days. It consists of primarily drinking a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water. The diet claims to detoxify your body and provide weight loss benefits. However, no scientific evidence supports detox diets like the Master Cleanse for weight loss. The Master Cleanse diet is neither safe nor sustainable. It doesn’t provide sufficient essential nutrients and may cause headaches, fatigue, and irritability. Any weight loss that may occur comes from being in a calorie deficit rather than the cayenne pepper. You’ll most likely regain the weight afterward, too.
True to its name, the lemon, cayenne pepper, and honey diet involves drinking a beverage made with these three ingredients for anywhere from 10 to 40 days. A variation of the Master Cleanse detox (which combines lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup), this liquid-only diet substitutes honey for maple syrup as a sweetener. Proponents of the regimen say it detoxifies organs, improves digestion, and promotes weight loss. But research shows that these claims are overblown, and following the diet has numerous drawbacks.
How Does the Lemon, Cayenne Pepper, and Honey Diet Claim to Work?
In theory, the mechanism behind a lemon, cayenne pepper, and honey diet is threefold. “The idea is that lemon juice supports cleansing, cayenne boosts metabolism, and the sweetener, whether it’s honey or maple syrup, provides energy,” explains registered dietitian Samantha DeVito, RD, CDN, of Paramus, New Jersey. Of course, calorie restriction also plays a major role in the diet’s weight loss effects. It involves consuming no solid food for multiple days at a time, sending your calorie intake into a nosedive.
The lemony beverage itself is also extremely low in calories. A common recipe for the drink contains the following:
- 2 tablespoons (tbsp) fresh-squeezed lemon juice (7 calories)
- 1 tbsp honey (64 calories)
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (0 calories)
- 10 ounces of purified water (0 calories)
All told, each serving adds up to just 71 calories. Even if you drink this six or more times a day, it’s still likely to create a major calorie deficit. “Any weight loss you see on this plan is almost entirely from the drastic drop in calories and not from the ingredients themselves,” says DeVito.
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Potential Risks of the Lemon, Cayenne Pepper, and Honey Diet
- Nutrient Deficiencies: The longer you go without nutrients from solid food, the more likely you are to experience deficiencies. A lemon, cayenne pepper, and honey diet is notably lacking in protein and fat, as well as micronutrients like B vitamins, iron, and magnesium.
- Unsustainable Weight Loss: This quick-fix diet may help you to drop pounds rapidly, but it’s not a long-term solution for weight management.
- Potential for Disordered Eating: For some people, a fad diet like this one is either the cause or the result of a negative relationship with food. Be aware that its restrictive nature could trigger disordered eating behaviors.
- Lack of Scientific Evidence: This diet’s health claims are based more on conjecture and personal anecdotes than scientific evidence.
- Interactions with Health Conditions: The high acid content of lemon juice could cause problems for people with certain health concerns. “People with digestive conditions like reflux or ulcers may find it irritating,” DeVito says.
- Social Isolation: If you’re skipping solid food for weeks at a time, you’ll probably miss out on the pleasure of eating with others.
Other Potential Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper
Beyond weight loss, cayenne pepper offers several other potential health benefits:
Antioxidant Properties
Cayenne pepper - and other brightly colored produce - is rich in antioxidants, which are natural plant compounds that help fight off damage to our cells, according to a review published in July 2016 in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Regularly drinking beverages and eating foods that are high in antioxidants reduces your risk of developing heart disease and certain types of cancers, according to Cleveland Clinic. As well as capsaicin, cayenne peppers contain other plant compounds with protective properties, these include flavonoids and carotenoids. A study in 2015 reported that varieties of Capsicum annuum, including the cayenne pepper, had the greatest antioxidant activity when compared with other types of pepper.
Improved Digestion
Cayenne pepper may help improve your digestive health. The paper in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition also concluded that cayenne pepper is a powerful gastrointestinal stimulant that can increase your digestive tract's ability to receive and process micronutrients. The capsaicin in cayenne also boosts gastric blood flow. A review in the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine noted other GI benefits of capsaicin, including stimulation of digestion. But the researchers emphasized that more research is needed to determine the right dosage of cayenne to provide these benefits in general, let alone in cayenne water form.
Dietary spices and their active ingredients can provide many benefits to your stomach. For example, in terms of digestive aids, cayenne pepper can help strengthen our stomach to defend against infections, increase the production of digestive juices, and help deliver food-degrading enzymes to the stomach. It also helps with digestion. Cayenne pepper does this by stimulating the nerves in the stomach to signal protection from injury. While some people believe that spicy foods can cause stomach ulcers. An article has shown that the capsaicin in cayenne pepper can actually help reduce the risk of stomach-related conditions, taking stomach ulcers as an example.
Heart Health
Cayenne pepper water may have cardiovascular perks, as it can help dilate blood vessels. This makes blood flow more freely, boosting circulation. Animal studies, such as research published in June 2015 in Open Heart, suggest this blood vessel dilation may discourage plaque formation that can lead to clogged arteries. But it's not clear yet how these results translate to humans and how much cayenne pepper water you'd need to drink to get the benefits. Cayenne peppers can protect heart health in several ways. There’s evidence, for instance, that capsaicin can protect against inflammation in your body. Inflammation plays a role in many different diseases, including heart disease. Cayenne peppers can keep blood vessels healthy and may help lower blood pressure.
Researchers found that people who regularly ate chili peppers were 13% less likely to die than people who avoided spicy fare. The reason? Spice lovers had a lower risk of heart-related diseases like heart attacks and strokes. What’s more, researchers found that when people season their meals with cayenne pepper, they’re less likely to reach for the saltshaker. Salt isn’t so good for heart health, especially in people with high blood pressure. Increasing the amount of cayenne pepper you eat might help you cut back on salt. Other studies have also shown that the compound capsaicin in cayenne pepper can reduce high blood pressure.
Pain Relief
When applied directly to the skin, capsaicin creams can decrease pain for people with arthritis and muscle injuries, according to Mayo Clinic. But research has not been conducted on drinking cayenne pepper water for similar benefits. The compound Capsaicin can be a painkiller when applied to the skin in the form of a cream, because capsaicin helps reduce the amount of substance P - the nerve stimulant produced by the body, which is then transmitted to the brain to signal pain. When less substance P is produced, pain signals can no longer reach the brain and pain sensation is reduced. The compound capsaicin is commonly available in lotion form and is often recommended for:
- Joint and muscle pain
- Lower back pain
- Post-surgery pain
- Pain associated with neurological conditions such as shingles
In addition, capsaicin cream should not be applied to open wounds or stretch marks.
Management of Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which your body attacks itself. Psoriasis - an autoimmune disease that presents as red, itchy, and scaly patches on the skin with varying degrees. Currently, there is no cure for psoriasis. However, creams containing capsaicin can help relieve itching and improve the appearance of areas affected by psoriasis. A study that examined the effects of the use of a compound capsaicin showed that psoriasis patients treated with capsaicin cream had significantly reduced scaling, redness, and patching of the skin compared to those with placebo cream use. Compound P plays a role in psoriasis, and compound capsaicin has the potential to help reduce the amount of substance P your body produces.
Cancer Prevention
Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells. The compound capsaicin in cayenne pepper has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer. These compounds may do this by attacking many different pathways during cancer cell growth. Recent studies have shown that capsaicin can slow down the growth of cancer cells and even cause cell death for different types of cancer including: Prostate cancer, prostate cancer pancreas and skin cancer. Although the effects of capsaicin on cancer cells seem to be promising, the current findings are based on the results of laboratory and studies on animals. Capsaicin's effects on human cancer have yet to be studied, so it's wise to take this information selectively.
Other Benefits
Health benefits of cayenne pepper can include:
- Relieves cold symptoms like congestion and sneezing.
- May have antibacterial properties.
- Contains antioxidants, like vitamin C, beta-carotene (a vitamin A precursor) and vitamin E.
- Increases energy and reduces hunger.
Potential Side Effects and Precautions
Side effects from eating cayenne pepper or taking capsaicin supplements are rare. Capsaicin topical creams are more likely to cause side effects like skin burning, itching, and irritation. That said, a 2024 review found that some people who took capsaicin supplements for weight loss went to the hospital due to severe chest pain and sweating (diaphoresis). If cayenne pepper gets in your eye, you may experience burning, stinging, or watering eyes. Other reported side effects include:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach cramps
- Elevated body temperature
Cayenne pepper in supplement form may not be safe for everyone. Do not take cayenne pepper supplements if you:
- Take medication that slows blood clotting
- Have a scheduled surgery
- Are pregnant or nursing
- Take theophylline (Theochron, Uniphyl)
- Take medication for high blood pressure
It’s also best to avoid taking cayenne pepper in large doses or for extended periods of time. It also should not be given to children.
Dosage and Safety Considerations
There are no standard guidelines or recommendations for dosage although when given in supplement form, capsaicin is typically taken in doses ranging from about 1.2 to 12 mg, although weight loss studies have used up to 135mg per day. Supplements usually contain the dried cayenne powder - a capsule containing 500mg of dried cayenne pepper typically provides between 1.2-2.5mg of capsaicin. However, always check the label so that you understand exactly how much of the active capsaicin is available from the suggested daily dose.
Animal models have reported health benefits when capsaicin is administered at levels that represent 0.01-0.02 per cent of the daily diet, in humans this would equate to a weight of dried chilli that would provide approximately 40mg of capsaicin. Oral administration at this level can be challenging, as this amount of dried chilli pepper may be unpleasant to eat. When administered as an encapsulated supplement it is likely to be more acceptable although some people, especially those with irritable bowel syndrome, may experience gut irritation, taking the supplement with food may help mitigate this. Similarly, topical cream may cause skin irritation, a burning sensation and itching for some people.
Cayenne peppers are approved to be safe to eat. However, eating too much cayenne pepper at once can make you sick to your stomach and feel nauseous. If you are taking medication for high blood pressure, such as: ACE inhibitors (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, namely Captopril, Enalapril, etc), consult your doctor before trying capsaicin cream because the combination can cause coughing. Finally, when applying capsaicin cream to the skin, do not apply it to open wounds or stretch marks.
The FDA recommends speaking with a doctor before taking any supplements, such as capsaicin for weight loss. A doctor could recommend the best amount or provide more effective weight loss alternatives.
Common Questions
- How much weight can you lose with cayenne pepper per day? Cayenne pepper alone cannot make you lose weight. Combining exercise, diet changes, and better sleep may help you lose weight.
- Is it OK to take cayenne pepper every day? Cooking with small doses of cayenne pepper every day should be OK. However, eating too much cayenne pepper may cause gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, nausea, and a burning feeling in your stomach.
- Is a teaspoon of cayenne pepper every day too much? Eating a teaspoon of cayenne pepper every day should be OK. However, some people may experience side effects.
- Does cayenne pepper burn fat while you sleep? Some research suggests that capsaicin supplements may boost your BMR, which might contribute to burning fat while you sleep. However, no studies have assessed cayenne pepper’s effects on BMR, and BMR’s contribution to fat burning is minimal.