34 MD musculardevelopment.com July 2019
Fat Loss CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH By Steve Blechman and Thomas Fahey, Ed.D.
RED PEPPERCuts Food Intake
“Sir, would you like some red pepper in your soup?”
“Sure, bring it on.”
The server at the Chinese restaurant got carried
away and sprinkled on a tad too much. Your mouth felt
like ground zero during the San Francisco fi re of 1906.
Don’t get mad; the server was only trying to help you
lose weight. Japanese researchers found that adding
red pepper to soup or administering red pepper pills
depressed appetite and caused people to eat less fat.
The eff ects of red pepper were not caused by the hot
sensation in the mouth because the pills were as eff ective
as the hot , pepper-laden soup. Red pepper worked best as an
appetite suppressant at maximum tolerable dose. Bon appétit!
(Br J Nutr 91: 991-995)DRINKING WATER Can Help You Lose Weight
For years, health experts recommended that people drink eight glasses of water every day. That
changed when the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering
and Medicine recommended that thirst should guide water intake. Increased water intake is necessary
for diseases such as kidney stones and activities such as strenuous exercise, hot weather and long
airplane fl ights. However, drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication, which can cause
mental confusion and even death. Many nutrition experts recommend increased water intake to promote
weight loss. A study by German researchers supports this. Subjects who drank 2 liters of water per day
increased caloric expenditure by 100 calories per day— about the same as running 10 to 15 minutes.
Drinking extra water may help you lose weight, but don’t go overboard; excessive water intake can make
you sick, or even kill you. (J Clin Endocrin Metab88: 6015-6019)Studies by Dr. George Brooks from the
University of California, Berkeley, showed that
the body uses mainly fats for fuel at rest and
low exercise intensities. Above 65 percent of
maximum eff ort, the body switches abruptly
to carbohydrates and uses much less fat.
The rate of fat breakdown in fat cells also
decreases with increasing exercise intensity.The best method for losing weight through
exercise looks like a no-brainer: train at low
exercise intensity because you use fat as fuel.
The longer you exercise, the more fat you
use as fuel and the more body fat you lose.
While it’s true you use more fat as fuel when
you exercise moderately, you actually lose
more body fat when you exercise intensely
because during a 24-hour period you use
more fat for fuel and increase calorie use
more aft er exercise. Also, you metabolize
more calories during the exercise itself. The
total daily energy use is more important for
fat loss than the kinds of fuels used during
exercise. Studies from Laval University
in Canada showed that people who train
intensely had more muscle and less fat than
those who exercised at lower intensities.
People exercising more intensely lost much
more body fat, even though they exercised for
less time than a moderate-intensity exercise
group. An eight-month Duke University
study led by Dr. Cris Slentz showed that
people could lose weight through exercise
alone without dieting. The average energy
intake was slightly more than 2,000 calories
per day. People who exercised intensely
lost much more fat than those who trained
moderately. Pick up the pace if you want to
lose fat. (Nutrition 20: 716-727)Best Exercise
Intensity for
Fat Loss?
RED PEPPER
away and sprinkled on a tad too much. Your mouth felt
like ground zero during the San Francisco fi re of 1906.
Don’t get mad; the server was only trying to help you
lose weight. Japanese researchers found that adding
red pepper to soup or administering red pepper pills
depressed appetite and caused people to eat less fat.
The eff ects of red pepper were not caused by the hot
sensation in the mouth because the pills were as eff ective
as the hot , pepper-laden soup. Red pepper worked best as an
appetite suppressant at maximum tolerable dose. Bon appétit!
(Br J NutrDRINKING WATER
changed when the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering
and Medicine recommended that thirst should guide water intake. Increased water intake is necessary
for diseases such as kidney stones and activities such as strenuous exercise, hot weather and long
airplane fl ights. However, drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication, which can cause
mental confusion and even death. Many nutrition experts recommend increased water intake to promote
weight loss. A study by German researchers supports this. Subjects who drank 2 liters of water per day
increased caloric expenditure by 100 calories per day— about the same as running 10 to 15 minutes.
Drinking extra water may help you lose weight, but don’t go overboard; excessive water intake can make
you sick, or even kill you. (J Clin Endocrin MetabCuts Food Intake
sensation in the mouth because the pills were as eff ective
as the hot , pepper-laden soup. Red pepper worked best as an
appetite suppressant at maximum tolerable dose. Bon appétit!