London - “It could be that different foods could have different effects on metabolism,” says Dr Thomas Barber, an obesity researcher and associate professor of clinical endocrinology.
“The main one we have evidence for is chilli.”
Research has suggested eating chilli can help you burn perhaps an extra 50 or 60 calories in the hours immediately after a meal, as chilli effectively stresses the body.
“When you eat chilli it affects a particular receptor in the mouth,” says Dr Barber. “This then acts on the sympathetic nervous system, which controls our fight or flight response in stressful situations.
“In some people, this activates brown fat (which burns calories, unlike normal ‘white’ fat), boosting metabolism.
“However, not all of us have active brown fat, so it won’t necessarily boost everyone’s metabolism.”
Daily Mail