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The effects of capsaicin intake on weight loss among overweight and obese subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2023

Wensen Zhang Open the ORCID record for Wensen Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Qiang Zhang ,
Lianke Wang ,
Qianyu Zhou ,
Panpan Wang ,
Ying Qing  and
Changqing Sun
Wensen Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China
Qiang Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Nursing and Health, Zhengzhou University, 101 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China
Lianke Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China
Qianyu Zhou
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China
Panpan Wang
Affiliation:
School of Nursing and Health, Zhengzhou University, 101 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China
Ying Qing
Affiliation:
School of Nursing and Health, Zhengzhou University, 101 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China
Changqing Sun*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China School of Nursing and Health, Zhengzhou University, 101 Kexue Road, High-Tech Development Zone of States, Zhengzhou 450001, People’s Republic of China
*
*Corresponding author: Chang-Qing Sun, email zzugwsy@163.com
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Abstract

Animal studies have shown that capsaicin plays a positive role in weight management. However, the results in human research are controversial. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of capsaicin on weight loss in adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Cochrane library and clinical registration centre, identifying all randomised controlled trials (RCT) published in English and Chinese to 3 May 2022. A random-effect model was used to calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95 % CI. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by the Cochran Q statistic and I-squared tests (I2). Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 15.1. P-values < 0·05 were considered as statistically significant. From 2377 retrieved studies, fifteen studies were finally included in the meta-analyses. Fifteen RCT with 762 individuals were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the supplementation of capsaicin resulted in significant reduction on BMI (WMD: −0·25 kg/m2, 95 % CI = –0·35, –0·15 kg/m2, P < 0·05), body weight (BW) (WMD: −0·51 kg, 95 % CI = –0·86, –0·15 kg, P < 0·05) and waist circumference (WC) (WMD: −1·12 cm, 95 % CI = –2·00, –0·24 cm, P < 0·05). We found no detrimental effect of capsaicin on waist-to-hip ratio (WMD: −0·05, 95 % CI = –0·17, 0·06, P > 0·05). The current meta-analysis suggests that capsaicin supplementation may have rather modest effects in reducing BMI, BW and WC for overweight or obese individuals.

Keywords

CapsaicinObesityOverweightMeta-analysisWeight loss
Type
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 130 , Issue 9 , 14 November 2023 , pp. 1645 - 1656
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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