Effect of Red Pepper Ingestion on Energy Substrates Utilization during Rest in Athletes

Journal of Exercise Nutrition & Biochemistry 1997;1(1):61-68.

Abstract

We investigated the effect of red pepper ingestion on the energy metabolism in male athletes. After a standardized dinner on the previous evening, the subjects consumed a breakfast either with or without 10 g of red pepper. For 150min after the meal, subjects took a rest and their expired gas was collected. During the initial 30min after the meal, the energy expenditure tended to be higher in the red pepper meal trial than in the control meal trial. For the remaining 120min, no difference in the energy expenditure was not found between the two diet trials. However, carbohydrate oxidation was significantly higher in the red pepper diet trial while the lipid oxidation was lower in the red pepper diet trial for 150min after the meal. These results suggest that increase in the energy expenditure after the red pepper diet trial appeared only immediately after the meal ingestion and red pepper diet increases the carbohydrate oxidation without increasing total energy expenditure for 150min after the meal.