Capsimax – Natural Capsicum (or Capsaicin) Extract
Capsimax could well be one of the most enduring and scientifically proven fat burning and health supplement ingredients available.
It’s a patented natural capsicum (or capsaicin) extract taken from red hot chilli peppers, the bioactive compounds of which are known as capsaicinoids.
What makes Capsimax different from other capsaicin extracts is the delivery mechanism – again a patented system called OmniBead which locks the capsaicinoids into a controlled-release coating, only releasing them at the right time in the intestines.
This time-release delivery system ensures the complete absorption of the capsaicinoids while preventing any discomfort to the user. When you take Capsimax, you are taking concentrated red hot pepper extract but you feel none of the burn.
Combined with what is now years of success on the weight loss supplement market, Capsimax benefits from the support of scientific research.
As a patented standalone ingredient it can be taken by itself or added to virtually any weight loss or fat burning formula to enhance its effects.
It’s also a non-stimulant, which further broadens its usability, and its synergistic behaviour with so many other ingredients earns its inclusion in everything from sports supplements to antioxidant blends, and fat burners to pre-workout powders.
How Does Capsimax Work?
The capsaicinoids that provide the heat of a chilli pepper also bring the beneficial health effects, including the reduction of unwanted body fat.
One of the most recent discoveries is that capsaicin can ‘brown’ our white fat cells.
Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) – aka brown fat – is a growing subject of scientific research in the constant battle against the obesity epidemic.
What is Brown Adipose Tissue?
BAT is a kind of hybrid tissue that lies somewhere between muscle and fat. It’s adipose (fat) tissue that comes from the same stem cells as muscle tissue.
When we think of obesity, and the layers of unwanted fat which people accumulate over time, it is the white fat – or White Adipose Tissue (WAT) – that we want to reduce.
Brown Fat is present in higher proportions when we are babies, because of its heat generating effect. It’s found in the neck, upper chest and shoulder regions mostly.
Babies can’t shiver to generate heat, so they must rely on a chemical reaction between their white fat and brown fat. Basically, BAT burns WAT and generates heat in the process. It’s called non-shivering thermogenesis.
As adults, we don’t tend to have much BAT. In fact, it doesn’t really grow much more than when we are babies, and so relative to our WAT as we get physically bigger, it has less and less of an impact.
Adults with above average quantities of BAT tend to have higher resting metabolisms, and thus the ability to burn unwanted white body fat more readily.
Lighting up the BAT Signal
Scientists figured that external environmental temperature still has an effect on our brown fat. Sure we can shiver as adults but what BAT we have left still lights up when we are cold.
That’s how the concept of cold therapy came about. Sit in a cool room (19 C / 66.2 F) for long enough and you would start to burn white fat through its reaction with brown fat.
They even found that cold therapy can increase BAT quantities by small amounts.
But there’s a couple of snags with cold therapy. Firstly, you have to do it for a couple hours every day to have even a minimal effect.
Secondly, not many people want to do it.
TIP: Some people sleep in a cool room in order to spend the whole night activating their brown adipose tissue. If you don’t mind doing it, it’s a good bonus way of burning some fat.
Luckily, scientists also found that we can activate our brown adipose tissue through dietary means.
Enter Capsaicin.
Research tells us that you can induce the browning of white adipose tissue. That’s how you essentially increase your BAT levels and start burning more fat.
Capsaicin stimulates the expression of a protein called TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1).
It’s often referred to as the Capsaicin receptor, and it plays a very important role in the detection and regulation of body temperature.
Via this channel, capsaicin can trigger the browning of WAT, as shown by a recent (2016) study on with mice.
In the most basic scientific terms, “browning” refers to the expression and activation of brown-fat genes in white fat cells. It’s often called “beige” fat or “brite” fat.
And That’s Not All Capsaicin Does
Following a successful weight loss period, most people want to reduce calorie deficit and maintain the bodyweight they have achieved.
Unfortunately, they all to often rebound and start adding weight again. This is partly due to the mentality that a diet is a short-term means to an end, rather than an indefinite, sustainable relationship with food.
When people lose then regain weight, it’s labelled yo-yo dieting, and each time the weight is regained, it becomes harder to lose.
Increased Fat Oxidation and Reduced Adipogenesis
Scientists looked at whether capsaicin could not only help people lose weight but also assist them in sticking to their desired maintenance weight once they reached it.
They found that capsaicin helps limit weight regain after a successful 5-10% weight loss period. This was due to increased oxygen consumption and body temperature from greater energy expenditure.
Therefore both fat oxidation and resting energy expenditure were increased from capsaicin supplementation.
An inhibition of adipogenesis is also apparent with capsaicin ingestion. Adipogenesis is the transition of fat cells from pre-adipocytes to adipocytes. These are the storage vessels for fat, which can be a particular problem when rebounding from a calorie-restrictive weight loss diet.
In other words, capsaicin can suppress the accumulation of body fat as a preventative measure, in addition to increasing metabolism and the oxidation of existing fat stores.
Appetite Suppression and Increased Satiety
Past studies have shown that capsaicinoids can also reduce the intake of food when it’s taken before a meal. One study suggested [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743483] this could be due to an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity.
From the results of the relevant studies it looks as though capsaicin almost has a dual effect. It both:
- Reduces Appetite; and
- Increases Satiety (sensation of fullness)
They are probably similar enough to be considered the same in terms of the end result: less calorie intake.
Leptin is the hunger suppressing hormone, and it is believed that capsaicin acts on the hypothalamus to regulate the release of leptin and reduce the desire for more food after eating, and reduce the portion requirement during the meal.
It is proposed that the same channel that triggers BAT activation – the TRPV1 pathway – also plays a role in regulating glucose metabolism and hypothalamic leptin’s sensitivity, thereby improving its hunger reducing effect.
Gastrointestinal Tract and Gut Microbiome
The gut and its complexity is becoming known as the body’s “second” brain because of the intricate linkage between it and the central nervous system, the endocrine system and cognitive function.
Capsaicin has been shown to have an anti-obesity effect due to the increase of certain gut bacteria Akkermansia muciniphilia.
Therefore some of the obesity-suppressing power of capsaicin and its active capsaicinoids comes from its impact on the lower intestine and potential to trigger an increase in certain beneficial types of gut flora/bacteria.
Capsimax is uniquely designed to transport the important capsaicin extract to the lower intestine where it is released. Absorbed from that location it can exert its maximum beneficial effect.
Are There Any Side Effects of Capsimax?
Certainly not at the recommended dosages.
The way in which the OmniBead technology works prevents the release of the hot pepper extract at any point that would cause discomfort.
The only sensation you might feel is a slight increase in temperature as your body’s turnover of fat starts to increase and your stores of brown adipose tissue light up.
Dosage – How Much Capsimax Should I Take?
If it’s part of a multi-ingredient formula then you won’t have much choice about the dosage. Capsimax does however work in very small doses.
Between 100mg and 150mg seems to be the standard industry dosage, and is in line with the research data.
Closing Comments on Capsimax
I’ve known about Capsimax since it’s beginnings, and it had a lot of promise even then.
Since that time, there has been much more research conducted on capsaicin and its active capsaicinoids.
It’s known to have powerful anti-oxidant effects, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory benefits and is even used as a natural pain killer.
You might say that those are the most important health benefits it could possibly possess, but they’re not why people use it 99% of the time.
They use it to lose weight in the form of fat, and keep it off.
Capsimax is designed to deliver capsaicin to the right part of the intestine, where it goes on to have multiple fat reducing effects throughout the body, interacting with your gut flora, brown fat stores, and brain.
It’s honestly one of the best weight loss supplement inclusions available without a doubt.
Which one would you recommend to use?