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This Article Full Text (Publish Ahead of Print[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: 89/1/45    most recent ajcn.2008.26561v2 ajcn.2008.26561v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Snitker, S. Articles by Takahashi, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Snitker, S. Articles by Takahashi, M. Agricola Articles by Snitker, S. Articles by Takahashi, M.

Effects of novel capsinoid treatment on fatness and energy metabolism in humans: possible pharmacogenetic implications^1,2,3

¹ From the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (SS, HS, and SO); Ajinomoto USA, Fort Lee, NJ (Y Fujishima); St Luke's–Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY (XP-S); and Ajinomoto, Kawasaki, Japan (Y Furuhata, HS, and MT).

² Supported by Ajinomoto Co, Inc.

³ Address reprint requests and correspondence to S Snitker, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 660 West Redwood Street, Howard Hall, Room 598-B, Baltimore, MD 21209. E-mail: ssnitker{at}medicine.umaryland.edu.

ABSTRACT

Background: Capsinoids from the Capsicum genus of plants are nonpungent capsaicin-related substances with effects on metabolism and body weight in animals.

Objectives: Our objectives were to explore the safety and efficacy of capsinoids taken orally (6 g/d) for weight loss, fat loss, and change in metabolism and to examine whether candidate genes are predictors of capsinoid response.

Design: This was a 12-wk, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study. Eligibility criteria included a body mass index (BMI; in kg/m²) of 25–35. Body weight was measured, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, indirect calorimetry (men only), and genotyping were conducted.

Results: Forty women and 40 men with a mean (± SD) age of 42 ± 8 y and BMI of 30.4 ± 2.4 were randomly assigned to a capsinoid or placebo group. Capsinoids were well tolerated. Mean (± SD) weight change was 0.9 ± 3.1 and 0.5 ± 2.4 kg in the capsinoid and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.86). There was no significant group difference in total change in adiposity, but abdominal adiposity decreased more (P = 0.049) in the capsinoid group (–1.11 ± 1.83%) than in the placebo group (–0.18 ± 1.94%), and this change correlated with the change in body weight (r = 0.46, P < 0.0001). Changes in resting energy expenditure did not differ significantly between groups, but fat oxidation was higher at the end of the study in the capsinoid group (least-squares mean difference: 21.0 mg/min; P = 0.06). Of 13 genetic variants tested, TRPV1 Val585Ile and UCP2 –866 G/A correlated significantly with change in abdominal adiposity.

Conclusions: Treatment with 6 mg/d capsinoids orally appeared to be safe and was associated with abdominal fat loss. Capsinoid ingestion was associated with an increase in fat oxidation that was nearly significant. We identified 2 common genetic variants that may be predictors of therapeutic response.

Received for publication June 19, 2008. Accepted for publication October 17, 2008.