A number of herbs have traditionally been used for weight loss. Of these cayenne pepper and green tea are two of the most commonly used. Green tea contains a number of components that may induce weight loss including caffeine and catechins. Studies (here) have shown possible synergistic effects between the caffeine and catechins in green tea (in animal models). Green tea may induce weight loss through multiple mechanisms. The caffeine and the catechins may increase the release of catecholamine hormones which in turn increases metabolic rate. In addition, catechins may inhibit digestive enzymes and improve glycaemic control. Cayenne pepper is a source of a group of chemicals including capsaicinoids and capsinoids, that have been shown to have thermogenic properties in animals. Catechins, caffeine and cayenne pepper may therefore increase metabolic rate and induce weight loss through the oxidation of fuels, particularly lipids. In combination this may result in significant weight loss over the short term.
In one study1, 80 overweight subjects were administered a low energy diet for 4 weeks. Those that lost greater than 4 % of their body weight were then administered a combination supplement containing 1599 mg of green tea extract (containing 376 mg catechins), 1218 mg tyrosine, 302 mg of caffeine, 450 mg cayenne pepper providing 1.2 mg capsaicin and 3890 mg of calcium. Another group of subjects who lost greater than 4 % of their body weight were given a placebo tablet. The subjects followed their treatment or placebo protocol for 8 weeks. The thermogenic effect of the supplement was measured at the first day of the trial and the last. On the first day the thermogenic effect of the supplement was measured at approximately 5 kcal per hour. At the cessation of the study the thermogenic effect was maintained at approximately 5 kcal per hour. This thermogenic effect was significantly greater than the placebo at both measurement points. Therefore the combination of nutrients increased the heat generated by the subjects.
Those taking the combination supplement experienced a 1.3 kg decrease in body fat over the course of the 8 weeks, whereas the placebo group experienced only a 0.5 kg loss. The difference in body fat loss was significantly different between groups. Therefore the thermogenic effect of the supplement which amounted to around 5 kcal per hour may have been responsible for the increased loss of body fat through an increase in the oxidation rate of energy. It is not possible to identify the component or components within this supplement that caused these effects. However, there is scientific evidence that all the components within the supplement could have been responsible to increase fat loss. The effects of supplements on weight loss are often small, but combination therapy appears to improve the efficacy of the supplements. Of course there is no requirement to take these components as a supplement (except perhaps tyrosine). Cayenne pepper can be added to a high calcium diet and green tea contains both caffeine and catechin.
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