Impact of Black Pepper on Energy Expenditure and Substrate Utilization

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill18 enrolled

Overview

As obesity rates worldwide continue to increase, there is a focus on identifying active food ingredients which increase metabolic rate which can be used as a dietary supplement in the treatment of overweight and obesity. Promising animal and cell studies have suggested a role for black pepper and an active component of black pepper, piperine, in energy expenditure. However, the effects of black pepper have not been determined in humans. The investigators hypothesis if that consumption of 1.5g black pepper (0.5g in each of three meals over one day) will result in an elevation in 24-h resting energy expenditure when contrasted to a control day (no black pepper, same diet intake).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Obesity

Interventions

Subjects spent two x 24-hour periods inside the metabolic chamber at the UNC NRI (black pepper and no pepper control) each separated by one week. Subjects were requested to arrive at the study center each morning in a fasted state (at least 10 hours). During each study day, subjects remained sedentary. All meals were provided and were tailored to each subject's specific energy requirements. Study meals (with the exception of the 1.5g of black pepper) were identical between the black pepper and no pepper control study days.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 50 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Woman * Postmenopausal * Aged 50-65 years * BMI 25-35kg/m2 * Not taking blood pressure or anti-inflammatory medications or any other medications that may impact the results * Thyroid hormone profile within the normal reference range * No medical condition which may impact the results (e.g. diabetes) * Accustomed to eating regular meals including breakfast Exclusion Criteria: * Smoker * Heavy exerciser (defined as \>150 minutes/week for more than 3 months) * Abuses alcohol or drugs * Vegetarian

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Energy expenditure and substrate oxidation

A primary outcome of this study was the 24-hour energy expenditure (measured in the metabolic chamber at the UNC NRI) following black pepper and no pepper control.

Time frame: 24-hours

Secondary Outcomes

Gut peptides

Change in gut peptide secretion 30 minutes following a meal containing black pepper compared with no pepper control.

Time frame: 30 minutes after lunch