Research
Hormonal
The appetite-suppressing effect of red pepper in males is associated with an increase in sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, indicated by a higher sympathetic-to-parasympathetic heart rate ratio.
For men, spicy food may trigger a physiological stress response (SNS activation) that curbs hunger. While the link to actual calorie reduction wasn't statistically significant in this small group, the physiological shift is real.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Moreover, the power spectral analysis of heart rate revealed that this effect of red pepper was associated with an increase in the ratio sympathetic : parasympathetic nervous system activity.
Why this rating
Mechanism is measured via heart rate spectral analysis, which is an indirect proxy for SNS activity, and the correlation with energy intake failed to reach significance.
Source
Effects of red pepper on appetite and energy intake
Mayumi Yoshioka et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 1999
DOI 10.1017/s0007114599001269
crossover · n=23Cited 221×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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