A chili pepper compound may be used as a weight loss supplement, according to a new study in the journal Protenome.

The study, led by Dr. Jong Won Yun from Daegu University, showed that capsaicin supplementation caused weight loss in lab rats by up to eight percent.

Previous studies have suggested that capsaicin may help fight obesity by reducing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue and lowering fat levels in the blood.  But how this compound works to offer the benefits remains largely unknown.

Dr. Jong and colleagues tested capsaicin in lab rats on high fat diets and found those given capsaicin lost eight percent of their body weight.

Additionally, the researchers found that the rats given capsaicin changed their levels of at least 20 proteins found in fat.

Dr. Jong et al. suggests that capsaicin - the chili pepper compound, may help weight loss by affecting the proteins in fat, in addition to other metabolic changes.

David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton

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