Chili Burn is a weight loss supplement that contains—not surprisingly—chili pepper, along with a handful of other ingredients. These include green tea, dill, peppermint and ginger root. The name "Chili Burn" seems a bit of a stretch considering just how little chili pepper this product contains—a mere 24 mg. Green tea, on the other hand, is present at a significantly larger amount; 972 mg per 2 capsule serving.
But let's leave all that aside for a moment, and concentrate on the ingredient that gives this product its name; chili pepper.
Can chili peppers really help with weight loss?
It seems that they can. Let me explain...
Chili peppers contain naturally occurring substances called capsanoids, and two of those—capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin—are the ones of greatest interest to the folks who put weight loss products like this together. In the case of Chili Burn, capsaicin is the active component the chili pepper component of the formula is standardized for, although just how much is not revealed in any of the product literature I reviewed.
Dihydrocapsaicin also has "clinically demonstrated" weight loss effects, although its effects can hardly be described as dramatic.
Animal studies suggest capsaicin supplementation has weight loss benefits, and human studies also show benefits. This study concluded...
"In the short term, both oral and gastrointestinal exposure to capsaicin increased satiety and reduced energy and fat intake; the stronger reduction with oral exposure suggests a sensory effect of capsaicin."Or in other words, a properly standardized red pepper supplement (this one used in the referenced study contained 900 mg of red pepper standardized for .25% capsaicin) may help you feel full for longer, and actually reduce the amount of food you consume at a meal.
These aren't the only studies showing red pepper to have both slight metabolism-elevating, satiating or appetite suppressing effects. There are plenty (you can see examples here and here).
The problem with these studies is that they showed a huge amount of chili pepper was required to achieve the desired effect; 6-10 grams was used in the studies I referenced a moment ago. And, further studies suggest that some benefits are dependent on a very high dose...
"...the maximum tolerable dose is necessary to have a suppressive effect of red pepper on fat intake."Essentially, what this means is that chili pepper's weight loss effects are dose dependent. In other words, to get the greatest benefit from it, you need to take a lot.
And Chili Burn does not contain a lot—it contains 24 mg, standardized for an indeterminate amount of capsaicin.
That makes it impossible to assess the true value of chili pepper to this formula.
What about the rest of the formula?
Well, when standardized appropriately, green tea has demonstrated benefits for weight loss—although its effects are usually exaggerated by retailers (to put green tea's effects into context, read "How Much Weight Can I Lose With Green Tea?). Chili Burn contains plenty of green tea and it is standardized for the appropriate catechin, but we don't know the potency of the extract... that is not revealed.
Other ingredients—dill, peppermint, ginger root—are included in doses so middling as to serve as little more than "label dressing."
So what's the bottom line on Chili Burn?
While the product isn't expensive, there's very little here to justify a purchase, especially given the ambiguity of the product's labeling. If New Nordic were serious about delivering real value, they'd be up front about their standardized extracts.
Have you used this product? Share your commentsI've seen several review sites give this product a poor rating for no other reason than to provide a link to an alternative product which they promote and earn a commission on. Very often, this product is Capsiplex or Capsimax. Don't be fooled; neither of these products is a weight loss miracle either, and the reality of chili pepper's weight loss effects is not any less applicable with a different product.
To read the Capsiplex review, click here!
and read Chili Burn feedback, user reviews, and testimonials, click here!
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