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Chili Attenuates Postprandial Insulin Response

Posted: Thursday, August 03, 2006

Chili attenuates the hyperinsulin response after a meal, according to the results of a randomized study.

"Animal and some human studies have indicated that the consumption of chili-containing meals increases energy expenditure and fat oxidation, which may help to reduce obesity and related disorders," write Kiran DK Ahuja, MD, from the University of Tasmania in Launceston, Australia. "Because habitual diets affect the activity and responsiveness of receptors involved in regulating and transporting nutrients, the effects of regular consumption of chili on metabolic responses to meals require investigation."

In this crossover intervention study with 2 dietary periods (chili and bland) of 4 weeks each, 36 subjects were evaluated for the postprandial effects of a bland meal after a bland diet, a chili meal after a bland diet, and a chili meal after a chili-containing diet. Mean age was 46 ± 12 years, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.3 ± 4.6 kg/m2. Outcome measures included serum insulin, C-peptide, and glucose concentrations and energy expenditure at fasting and up to 120 minutes postprandially.

There was significant heterogeneity between the meals for the maximum increase in insulin and the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for insulin (P = .0002). The highest concentrations were with the bland meal after bland diet and the lowest with the chili meal after a chili-containing diet meal. Using the median BMI (26.3 kg/m2) as a cut point, the subjects with a BMI >/= 26.3 kg/m2 also showed heterogeneity in C-peptide, iAUC C-peptide, and net AUC energy expenditure (P < .02 for all), with the highest values after the bland meal after a bland diet and the lowest after the chili meal after a chili-containing diet. In contrast, the C-peptide/insulin quotient, an indicator of hepatic insulin clearance, was highest after the chili meal after a chili-containing diet (P = .002).

"Regular consumption of chili may attenuate postprandial hyperinsulinemia," the authors write. "The results of this study suggest that the amount of insulin required to control for the postprandial increase in glucose is reduced with a CAC [chili meal after a chili-containing diet] meal. Furthermore, these results are more definitive with increasing BMI."

The authors recommend additional research to confirm this finding in persons at higher risk for hyperinsulinemia and to determine whether an improved insulin response might induce negative effects on thermogenesis in overweight and obese persons.
Practice Pearls

· Consumption of chili after a chili-containing or a bland diet is associated with lower increases in serum insulin concentration after a test meal.

· Consumption of chili with a meal after a chili-containing or bland diet is not associated with changes in energy expenditure or respiratory quotient.

Source: Diabetes In Control: Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:63-69