Capsiplex diet pills are so overhyped that it is hard to tell truth from fiction about them. Here is an objective view of marketing claims vs. the real science.
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What are Capsiplex Diet Pills?
Capsiplex is apparently a supplement that is derived from an extract of Capsicum species (peppers) that contains a class of natural products known as capsaicinoids. Capsaicin is the most well-known of the capsaicinoids and is the active ingredient in chili peppers that imparts the burning sensation when they are eaten. I use the word ‘apparently’ in this description because, no matter how hard I looked, I could find any listing of the actual ingredients on a label of this product. Not even the products for sale at Amazon offered the actual product label, which is unusual. It is also frustrating.
Normally what I like to do is look at the ingredients list and see whether anything in the formula matches up with dosages based on scientific research.
The main website (Capsiplex) provides a tremendous amount of information that consists of almost no factual data that I could verify from independent sources. One curiosity, which adds to my frustration, is a claim for a patented formula or delivery system. No patent number is provided, which is consistent with the tone of the website. I really would have liked a peek at the patent, although I doubt that there really is one.
The Hype
Deciding where to start evaluating this product presents a challenge. The celebrity endorsements by Nicola McClean and Roxanne Pallett can be ignored. Moreover, citing media hype to support, well, media hype is a bit of circular reasoning. I love how breathlessly it is presented, though!
Statements about clinical studies are the attention-getters for me, because they are supposedly rooted in research, which I can really dig into.
Here is what I found by searching for the published research on Capsiplex at PubMed:
Zip. Zilch. Nada.
That may come as a bit of a surprise, considering this statement about clinical studies on the company website:
The unique Capsiplex formula is backed by 30+ years of research, studies and human trials.
Actually, the absence of evidence in support of this claim is not a big surprise to me. Supplement companies are in the habit of taking a little bit of research from the public domain and twisting it around to sound as though it is about the brand name being marketed. In reality, there is some interesting research on Capsicum, although none of it cites the brand name Capsiplex.
The same company webpage linked above also offers this comment, which is closer to reality:
As you’ll see below, many other studies have been completed on Capsicum and the findings are all positive. It does exactly want you need it to do, which is to make weight loss EASY.
- Enhances thermogenesis
- Enhances energy expenditure by stimulating beta adrenergic receptors
- Enhances fat oxidation
- Reduces appetite by reducing fat and protein intake
- Reduces energy intake and enhances energy expenditure, with caffeine synergistically
- Enhances energy expenditure with catechins, caffeine, tyrosine
- Reduces the body weight and increase resting metabolic rate
- Enhances fat oxidation
- Increases satiety
- Inhibits serum lipoprotein oxidation
Now we are getting somewhere. The actual research citations, provided lower on that webpage, in support of this rather long list of claims, are (note that they are a little sloppy on the website, so I’ve cleaned them up a bit):
- Yoshioka M, et al: Effects of red-pepper diet on the energy metabolism in men. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 1995; 41: 647–656.
- Lim K, et al: Dietary red pepper ingestion increases carbohydrate oxidation at rest and during exercise in runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1997; 29: 355-61.
- Yoshioka M, et al: Effects of red pepper added to high-fat and high-carbohydrate meals on energy metabolism and substrate utilization in Japanse women. BrJ Nutr 1998; 80: 503–510.
- Yoshioka M, et al: Effects of red-pepper diet on the energy metabolism in men. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 1995; 41: 647–656.
Since research is so heavily cited, this is what the supporting citations should have been, including additional articles that the Capsiplex folks missed and links to the article abstracts on PubMed.
Maximum tolerable dose of red pepper decreases fat intake independently of spicy sensation in the mouth. Yoshioka M, Imanaga M, Ueyama H, Yamane M, Kubo Y, Boivin A, St-Amand J, Tanaka H, Kiyonaga A. Br J Nutr. 2004 Jun;91(6):991-5.
Combined effects of red pepper and caffeine consumption on 24 h energy balance in subjects given free access to foods. Yoshioka M, Doucet E, Drapeau V, Dionne I, Tremblay A. Br J Nutr. 2001 Feb;85(2):203-11.
Effects of red pepper on appetite and energy intake. Yoshioka M, St-Pierre S, Drapeau V, Dionne I, Doucet E, Suzuki M, Tremblay A. Br J Nutr. 1999 Aug;82(2):115-23.
Effects of red pepper added to high-fat and high-carbohydrate meals on energy metabolism and substrate utilization in Japanese women. Yoshioka M, St-Pierre S, Suzuki M, Tremblay A. Br J Nutr. 1998 Dec;80(6):503-10.
Dietary red pepper ingestion increases carbohydrate oxidation at rest and during exercise in runners. Lim K, Yoshioka M, Kikuzato S, Kiyonaga A, Tanaka H, Shindo M, Suzuki M. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1997 Mar;29(3):355-61.
Effects of red-pepper diet on the energy metabolism in men. Yoshioka M, Lim K, Kikuzato S, Kiyonaga A, Tanaka H, Shindo M, Suzuki M. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1995 Dec;41(6):647-56.
Now we have a more complete picture of what the Capsiplex marketing machine is referring to. As I already mentioned, none of it entails direct research on Capsiplex itself. Curiously, none of it goes back over “30+ years of research,” either. The research does, however, build a case for the benefits of red pepper extract for weight loss. Just click on any of the links to see what the overall results are for each study.
Capsiplex Misses the Boat
The seemingly headlong plunge into marketing mania by Capsiplex is obviously shallow when it comes to science. Moreover, in citing the ‘patented’ techology for delivering capsaicinoids in a pill form, the company has missed the boat on what the active weight loss ingredients in Capsicum really are.
If just ONE person at the company had taken the trouble to look up the medical research on Capsicum for weight loss, this is the good news he or she would have uncovered:
Effects of capsinoid ingestion on energy expenditure and lipid oxidation at rest and during exercise. Josse AR, Sherriffs SS, Holwerda AM, Andrews R, Staples AW, Phillips SM. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2010 Aug 3;7:65.
Effects of novel capsinoid treatment on fatness and energy metabolism in humans: possible pharmacogenetic implications. Snitker S, Fujishima Y, Shen H, Ott S, Pi-Sunyer X, Furuhata Y, Sato H, Takahashi M. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jan;89(1):45-50. Epub 2008 Dec 3.
Note that capsaicinoids, cited as the source of weight loss benefits in Capsiplex, don’t seem to be the ingredients of most importance for weight loss. Those benefits are more likely from capsinoids, which are not the same. Although capsainoids and capsinoids are chemically similar, they are different metabolically in human subjects. Capsinoids are not nearly as ‘hot’ and they break down much faster in the digestive system.
Maybe, just maybe, this research might have helped lend a real scientific foundation to the Capsiplex diet pills. As is, I’d say that the marketers are in control of the company. They either don’t have any scientific advisors at all, or the ones they have are falling down on the job.
Updating Capsiplex diet pills information,
Dr. D
Don’t you think that every diet pill out there is over hyped? I do because I have tried them so many times to lose fat and they never work. You can take what you want from that but it isn’t going to work if you stack them even. The only way to do it is diet and exercise period maybe throw in vitamins and minerals but not this fake stuff.
There’s probably no area more saturated with hype and misinformation than the weight loss industry. More than half of Americans try to lose weight every year, providing diet book publishers, manufacturers of diet pills and supplements, weight-loss clinics and a wide range of other companies with billions of dollars every year. Unfortunately, most of those dollars will be spent in vain, since the vast majority of dieters will get all their weight back,
Any time there is a new possible weight loss drug, everyone gets excited. Don’t hold your breath. Too good to be true? Yes, it likely is. The drug performed well in studies and showed to consistently reduce the appetite. But, the problem is that the overall weight loss is small. Also, 20% of people using the placebo experienced the same amount of weight loss as the 50% of those who used the drug and experienced weight loss.
Research regarding prescription drugs is more thorough and credible since they have to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Prescription weight loss drugs are intended for individuals with medically significant weight problems, and are intended to be used in conjunction with dietary, behavioral, and exercise programs. If used correctly by the intended group of users, oftentimes they can be a lifesaver. For those who simply take the pills without changing their lifestyle, expect disappointment.
i tried everything, healthy, sometimes organic food) excersize like crazy, starve (i know thats really bad) small portions even, but the moment i eat( and i dont pig out either) its like ive accomplished nothing. Im seriously considering, but im not gonna be all crazy and desperate and jump into the diet pill craze. Should i take diet pills? Just wondering, please dont lash out. Ive been struggling for a while!
Unfortunately, the reality is that most diet pills are overhyped in many of them are simply sugar pills designed to take advantage of the placebo effect phenomenon . it is my opinion that the diet pills which do perform have some sort of caffeine in their ingredients . Obviously that is because caffeine is an appetite stimulant – as in it takes away your hunger .
Diet pill commercials often make it seem so easy to lose weight; an overweight person is shown photographed with their flab and then pictured with a new fit physique. How do they do it? Well, what I suspected was confirmed In a report where 20/20 investigated such claims and found three common gimmicks used to play with the truth from manipulating photos and quoting experts who aren’t what they seem to ads that hype up claims.
Despite all this data, this drug has proven to be a hot (cake) seller. More than 50,000 packs of Capsiplex flew off the shelves when the product hit the high street earlier this month. Capsiplex claims to increase metabolism to burn calories 12 times faster than normal. But clearly, that is an outlandish claim that only an ignorant person would fall for.
The claims are that it burns off as many calories as a 25-minute jog, it’s no wonder that Capsiplex – a new slimming pill – has made headline news. But is Capsiplex safe and will it really shift those pounds? Maybe it is nothing more than a deception. The pill itself has extracts from chili peppers, right? So the burning feeling you may feel will lead the uninitiated to think that it is their body fat burning inside them.
Hi, Howard…Diet pill companies exert a powerful influence on consumers, so we all have to be vigilant in resisting the urge to use these drugs. A 24-hour fasting period once or twice per week is a much more helpful (and healthier!) way to drop pounds of fat without side effects.
All the best,
Dennis