Mustard AITC and energy expenditure in men
What it found
In 11 healthy men and women, eating 10 g of mustard did not raise energy expenditure or change body temperature, hunger, blood markers or how much they ate, compared with a placebo.
In mice, an injected mustard compound did raise energy expenditure.
What they found
Studies in people
Energy use in people
In people, energy expenditure over 150 minutes after eating mustard, capsulated or not, was not different from the placebo. The authors say the highest tolerable dose did not produce a relevant thermogenic response.
Temperature and sensations
Core body temperature, cold sensation and hunger scores changed over time in all three conditions, but there were no differences between mustard and placebo.
Blood markers
Plasma glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, free thyroxin and cortisol changed over the 150 minutes in all conditions, but mustard did not change them compared with placebo.
Food intake
At the test meal, neither the time spent eating nor the amount of energy eaten differed between the mustard and placebo conditions.
Animal and lab studies
Energy use in mice
In mice, injected AITC raised energy expenditure by 32% compared with the vehicle injection. Norepinephrine, used as a positive control, raised it more.
What the authors conclude
“The highest tolerable dose of mustard we were able to use did not elicit a relevant thermogenic response in humans.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the highest tolerable dose of mustard they were able to use did not elicit a significant thermogenic response in humans.
- They suggest that other potential thermogenic foods may be more suitable for use as weight-controlling agents.
- They note that these could be studied with the experimental setup described because it can accurately detect small but relevant changes in energy expenditure, substrate oxidation, temperature, and food intake.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether the pungent part of mustard, allyl-isothiocyanate, could trigger heat production and so help with weight control, since it activates a cold-sensing receptor.
They injected mice with AITC or a comparison substance and measured energy expenditure. They also gave 11 healthy men and women 10 g of capsulated mustard, uncapsulated mustard or a placebo on separate days, then measured energy expenditure, temperature, hunger and cold feelings, blood markers and how much they ate at a test meal over 150 minutes.
What it can’t tell you
- The human part of this study was small, with 11 people starting and 10 finishing, so it may not reflect what happens in larger groups.
- The authors say they cannot rule out that any thermogenic effect of mustard was too small to detect above the normal changes from fasting and time of day.
- The mouse results came from injected AITC, not from eating mustard, so they cannot show what eating mustard does in people.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Medical Research Council; British Heart Foundation (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, and; National Institute for Health Research/Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, United Kingdom; Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, United Kingdom
The paper
- Title
- No metabolic effects of mustard allyl-isothiocyanate compared with placebo in men
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Langeveld M, Tan CY, Soeters MR, et al (2017). No metabolic effects of mustard allyl-isothiocyanate compared with placebo in men. The American journal of clinical nutrition. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.148395Free full textPubMed 29070564DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error