Capsaicin from chili pepper and metabolic syndrome
What it found
In animals and lab tests, capsaicin improved blood sugar, insulin, and fat metabolism, but human studies are limited and mostly in healthy people.
The authors say more human trials are needed before it can be used as a supplement.
What they found
Studies in people
Satiety and food intake
In people, capsaicin increased feelings of fullness and reduced how much they ate in some studies. But one study found satiety came with stomach pain and nausea.
Animal and lab studies
Heart and blood vessels
In rats, capsaicin lowered blood pressure and improved blood vessel relaxation. In mice, it reduced atherosclerotic lesions.
Fatty liver
In mice, dietary capsaicin reduced fatty liver and liver inflammation. No human studies were found.
Studies in people and animals
Blood sugar and insulin
In animals, capsaicin lowered fasting glucose and insulin and improved glucose tolerance. In people, some studies found lower post-meal blood sugar and insulin, but others found no change.
Weight and fat
Animal studies showed capsaicin reduced body weight gain and fat mass. In people, a meta-analysis suggested capsaicin and capsiate may help with weight management, but a single low dose did not increase thermogenesis or fat burning.
Gut bacteria
In mice, capsaicin changed gut bacteria, increasing butyrate-producing bacteria and improving glucose homeostasis. In people, 6 weeks of capsaicin increased beneficial gut bacteria and GLP-1, and decreased ghrelin.
What the authors conclude
“Although there are appropriate animal studies providing evidence of the potential health benefits of capsaicin in the treatment of metabolic syndrome, the limited number of human studies has not provided the basis for the development of capsaicin as a nutraceutical.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that although animal studies show promise, the limited number of human studies has not provided the basis for developing capsaicin as a nutraceutical.
- They call for long-term surveillance of chronic capsaicin use in large, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, and controlled studies in humans to establish safety and efficacy.
- They suggest that identifying responses of capsaicin in humans against insulin resistance in liver and skeletal muscle could provide a valuable foundation for its development as a drug against diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
How it was done
The authors wanted to review how capsaicin, the main active compound in chili, might help with metabolic syndrome, which includes obesity and insulin resistance and raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease.
They reviewed studies of capsaicin in cells, animals, and people. The human studies included healthy people, long-distance runners, women with gestational diabetes, and overweight women, with some trials lasting up to 8 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- Most human studies were short and in healthy people, so they cannot show whether capsaicin helps people with metabolic syndrome over the long term.
- Animal results cannot be directly applied to people.
- The review cannot show whether capsaicin prevents or treats metabolic syndrome, only that it may affect some markers.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Southern Queensland, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Capsaicin in Metabolic Syndrome
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Panchal SK, Bliss E, Brown L (2018). Capsaicin in Metabolic Syndrome. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu10050630Free full textPubMed 29772784DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error