Rubbish! Chilis don't make you lose weight! ...or do they?!

Research on the effect of chili peppers on metabolic rate, continues.

In a study done at McMaster University in Canada, researchers tested the effect of capsinoids (substances present in chili peppers, and related to the more famous compound capsaicin) on energy expenditure, fat burning, and levels of certain molecules in the blood.¹

Twelve healthy male subjects were observed before and after a 90 minute stationary bike ride. During two separate experiments all subjects took (randomly) either a placebo or a treatment containing 10mg capsinoid, so that each subject had results that represented the effect of capsinoids and the effect of placebo. The subjects were tested with respect to oxygen consumption, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate, perceived exertion, and blood metabolites. Previous research on other andrenergic agonists (like caffeine) showed that these variables are changed by the treatment both during rest and during exercise. However, in the current study effects were mainly significant during rest. The main findings in this study were that, versus a placebo, 10 mg of capsinoids induced a rise in resting oxygen consumption, a decline in RER, an increase in plasma norepinephrine, and a decline in serum free fatty acids at rest. 10 mg of capsinoids also blunted the small but significant rise in blood lactate observed at the onset of exercise seen in the placebo group (0 mg).

This means that capsinoids raise the resting metabolic rate (shown as an increase in oxygen consumption) without increasing resting heart rate (none were observed in the study). Furthermore, the increase in norepinephrine and decline in RER suggest that the body burns more fat at rest. However, the effect of capsinoids on metabolism didn't carry over into exercise, where both groups showed similar metabolic states.

Capsinoids, therefore, represent a useful treatment for patients who want to lose weight, regardless of their level of physical activity.

¹ Josse et al. Effects of capsinoid ingestion on energy expenditure and lipid oxidation at rest and during exercise. Nutrition & Metabolism 7: 65 (2010).

Aspirin as a treatment for schizophrenia

Based on research that suggested that inflammation plays a role in schizophrenia (see below), further research has been done to investigate whether aspirin could improve existing anti-psychotic treatment.¹

Seventy patients in total took part in the randomized, placebo-controlled trial. One group of patients received their normal anti-psychotic treatment plus placebo, while the other group received their normal anti-psychotic treatment along with 1000mg of aspirin per day. During a 3-month follow up, patients were assessed according to the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) - a medical scale used for measuring symptom severity of patients with schizophrenia. Researchers also tested the patients' cognitive function and changes in their immune systems.

Patients who took aspirin showed greater improvement in their PANNS scores, and therefore reduced the symptoms of schizophrenia. The reduction was greater in patients who have a more altered immune function. The researchers concluded that inflammation may be a potential new target for antipsychotic drug development.

¹ Laan W et al. Adjuvant aspirin therapy reduces symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorders: results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Psychiatry. 71: 520-7 (2010).
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Inflammation linked to metabolic syndrome and mental disorders

Recent results provide evidence that link inflammation with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and schizophrenia.¹ Metabolic syndrome is characterised by central obesity, raised blood pressure, sub-optimal cholesterol and triglyceride profiles, and raised blood glucose.

In the study, white blood cell count (WBC) was determined in 199 patients. Increased WBC strongly predicted the condition of metabolic syndrome. Further significant correlations were found between high WBC and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) - a rating scale which is used to measure psychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, hallucinations and unusual behaviour.

The researchers concluded that WBC can be used as a marker to predict an increased risk for metabolic syndrome and more severe psychiatric symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

¹ Fan X et al. Higher white blood cell counts are associated with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome and more severe psychopathology in non-diabetic patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research 118: 211-217 (2010).
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An effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease reduces the number of nerve cells in the brain, causing it to shrink. Nerve cells can't be replaced naturally, and no cure has yet been discovered, therefore this is irreversible. Alzheimer's disease also leads to a decrease in the number of neurotransmitters, particularly acetylcholine, therefore transmission of neural messages is decreased. The disease leads to deterioration of brain function, resulting in memory loss, reduced language skills and behavioural and emotional problems.

Alzheimer's disease can be treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, although they aren't very effective and most people get little benefit from them.¹ A couple of years ago the first steps were made to investigate the usage of a new drug in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Etanercept is an inhibitor that regulates the transmission of signals between neurons in the brain. It regulates the function of a protein called TNF-alpha that is usually involved in inflammation.² A number of investigations have related excess TNF-alpha to the progression of Alzheimer's disease, as it seems to also act as a neural transmitter in the human body.²

Etanercept has previously been used in the effective relief of pain, through perispinal administration (injection around the spine, but not into the spinal column).² This indicated that etanercept crosses the blood-brain membrane barrier, and suggested that the veins around the spine can be used to transport drugs to the spine and the brain.

In a case study, two patients were treated with perispinal etanercept.² The first patient had impairments in attention, linguistic processing, and memory. After treatment with a non-effective drug, he had become effectively mute before his treatment regime was changed to include perispinal etanercept. The patient's speech, as well as his movement, increased significantly after treatment, with the greatest improvement seen in the week after treatment.

The second patient was an 80 year-old who had a history of increasing word-finding difficulty, and worsening memory and handwriting. Even just 8 minutes after treatment with etanercept, the patient showed improvement, being able to recite the days of the week backwards, something he was incapable of doing before treatment. His conversational ability, attention span, and forgetfulness all improved in the weeks post-treatment, with the greatest effect being seen in the first week.

Since the greatest effect was observed one week after etanercept treatment, weekly treatments might be the most effective. Although this study has limitations, it adds to the range of treatments available to treat Alzheimer's disease.


¹ http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/alzheimers_disease.html
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² Tolbinick E and Gross H. Rapid improvement in verbal fluency and aphasia following perispinal etanercept in Alzheimer's disease. BMC Neurology 8:27 (2008)

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