Effects of Capsiate Supplementation on Body Weight and Bone Mineral Density in Slightly Overweight Women: A Randomized, Doble-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are highly prevalent conditions associated with premature morbidity and mortality worldwide. Capsiate, a nonpungent analogue of capsaicin, binds to capsaicin binds to TRP vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor, which is involved in adipogenesis, and could be effective as a weight-lowering agent. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighteen slightly overweight women were enrolled in this randomized, doble-blind, placebo-controlled study. Nine patients were included in the capsiate intervention group and received 9 mg/day of capsinoids whereas other 9 patients received placebo for 8 weeks. All patients underwent weight and waist circumference assessment before and after treatment. Body composition and bone mineral density were also detected by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Fourteen patients completed the study. The treatment with capsiate or placebo for 8 weeks was not associated to significant changes in weight or waist circumference. After treatment, there was a significant improvement of Bone Mineral density (BMD values measured at the spine in the capsiate group (1.158 vs 1.106 g/cm2, +4.7%; p = 0.04), but not in the group treated with placebo. Similarly, the capsiate group showed a 9.1% increase (p = 0.05) in the adipose tissue and an 8.5% decrease in lean mass measured at the supraclavicular level, whereas these changes were not statistically significant in the placebo group.CONCLUSION: Treatment with capsiate for 8 weeks led to negligible changes in body weight in a small sample of slightly overweight women, but our findings suggest a potential effect of capsaicin on bone metabolism in humans.