Research

Hormonal

Daily oral administration of 4 mg capsaicinoids (as Capsicum annuum extract) during a 12-week caloric restriction prevents the decline of beneficial plasma endocannabinoidome mediators (specifically N-oleoyl-ethanolamine, N-linoleoyl-ethanolamine, and 2-oleoyl-glycerol) and increases the relative abundance of the genus Flavonifractor in reproductive-aged women with overweight/obesity.

If you are restricting calories to lose weight, adding 4mg of capsaicinoids daily (via standardized extract) may help preserve beneficial metabolic signaling molecules (like OEA) and support a healthier gut microbiome profile (specifically increasing Flavonifractor) compared to dieting alone. This is particularly relevant for women with overweight/obesity. Expect potential mild GI side effects.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
CAE prevented the reduced caloric-intake-induced decrease in beneficial eCBome mediators, i.e., the TRPV1, GPR119 and/or PPARα agonists, N-oleoyl-ethanolamine, N-linoleoyl-ethanolamine and 2-oleoyl-glycerol... CAE produced few but important alterations in the fecal microbiota, such as an increased relative abundance of the genus Flavonifractor, which is known to be inversely associated with obesity.
Claudia Manca et al. · Biomedicines · 2021

Why this rating

Small sample size (n=23 for eCBome, n=15 for microbiota), exploratory nature, and lack of statistical significance in primary anthropometric endpoints (weight/BMI).

Source

Oral Capsaicinoid Administration Alters the Plasma Endocannabinoidome and Fecal Microbiota of Reproductive-Aged Women Living with Overweight and Obesity

Claudia Manca et al. · Biomedicines · 2021

DOI 10.3390/biomedicines9091246

rct · n=61Cited 14×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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