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Pop a chilli pill to stay slim!

PTI
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Chilli pepper, at Marthahalli, in Bangalore. File photo: K. Murali Kumar.
The Hindu Chilli pepper, at Marthahalli, in Bangalore. File photo: K. Murali Kumar.

Here’s some good news for those looking for a readymade remedy to shed flab —— you can now burn your calories by just popping a chilli pepper pill, say scientists.

Several studies have found that hot peppers and their extracts are a safe option for nutritional supplements aimed at regulating diet.

Now, a team, led by the University of Oklahoma, has developed the slimming pill, which is made from chilli peppers and capsicum, and can burn as many calories as some 80 minutes of walking or a 25-minute jog, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.

Trials at the university showed that adults taking the pill, called Capsiplex, burned off 278 more calories before, during and after a bout of exercise than those on placebos.

According to the scientists, while developing the pill, they had to overcome the fact that capsicum extract is unbearably hot and would cause irritation if eaten in large quantities.

“For decades, scientists have known about the weight -loss potential of red hot peppers. The problem has been the ability to consume such a highly concentrated amount, but we have overcome this by putting a protective coating on the ingredients which stops any gastric irritation.

“At last we have a safe and healthy supplement to help weight loss,” a spokesman for Capsiplex was quoted by the British newspaper as saying.

The pills are already used in the United States by personal trainers because chilli and capsicum help speed up the metabolism, meaning people can lose weight more rapidly.

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