CH-19 Sweet, a non-pungent cultivar of red pepper, increased body temperature and oxygen consumption in humans

We investigated the effect of CH-19 Sweet, a nonpungent cultivar of red pep per, on body temperature and oxygen consumption in humans. CH-19 Sweet was given to 11 healthy volunteers, and core body temperature, body surface tem perature and oxygen consumption were measured. The control group ingested C alifornia-Wandar, which contained neither capsaicin nor capsiate. The core body temperature in the CH-19 Sweet group was significantly higher than tha t in the control group (P <0.01). The forehead temperature measured by infr ared thermography in the CH-19 Sweet group was significantly higher than th at in the control group. The body surface temperature was increased for abo ut 20 min after consumption of CH-19 Sweet intake, and the neck temperature was significantly higher (P <0.001) than when the subjects consumed Califo rnia-Wandar. We also measured respiratory gas by indirect calorimetry while subjects wore a face mask. A significant difference was detected in oxygen consumption between the two groups, and the value was significantly higher in the CH-19 Sweet group (P <0.03). These results suggest that CH-19 Sweet increased thermogenesis and energy consumption.