Spices Turn Up Body Heat

Ordering extra spicy meals at Mexican or Indian restaurants can make steam come out of yours ears. These foods can make you sweat and your skin turn puffy and red. It’s not just your imagination – spices increase metabolic rate. Dutch researchers found that certain spices and herbs not only give flavor to foods without adding calories, but can trigger thermogenesis and curb hunger. Spices raise metabolic rate by increasing the secretion of the fight or flilght hormone adrenaline. The most thermogenic spices include capsaicin, black papper, ginger, black tea and green tea. Caffeine has similar effects. Obese People realease less adrenaline in response to various stressors. Including thermogenic herbs and spices in the diet may promote adrenaline secretion and turn up your metabolic rate. ( Physiology Behavior, 89:85-91, 2006)