Chili May Help Diabetics

An Australian researcher has studied the effects of a chili-containing meal on the insulin response to a meal, comparing it with that after a bland meal, and in persons on a regular chili-containing diet. Chili has been found to increase energy expenditure and oxidation of fat, so the thought was that chili might reduce obesity and overweight.

In the study, there were two dietary periods – chili and bland – each lasting 4 weeks. So there was evaluation of the effect of a bland meal after a bland diet, a chili meal after a bland diet, and a chili meal after a chili diet. Serum insulin measures were used to estimate the insulin response to a meal; glucose concentrations and energy expenditure were also measured. The insulin response was greatest with the bland meal/bland diet test, and lowest with the chili meal/chili diet test. For those volunteers who were overweight (BMI greater than 26.3) the results for energy expenditure were the same. The investigators say that “regular consumption of chili may attenuate postprandial hyperinsulinemia”, meaning that chili may help counteract the high levels of post-meal insulin levels seen in diabetics and overweight people, to a certain extent. Good news, for those of us who like chili and have to watch our blood sugar levels!