Acute effects of mustard, horseradish, black pepper and ginger on energy expenditure, appetite, ad libitum energy intake and energy balance in human subjects.

Chilli peppers have been shown to enhance diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) and reduce energy intake (EI) in some studies, but there are few data on other pungent spices. The primary aim of the present study was to test the acute effects of black pepper (pepper), ginger, horseradish and mustard in a meal on 4 h postprandial DIT. The secondary aim was to examine the effects on subjective appetite measures, ad libitum EI and energy balance. In a five-way placebo-controlled, single-blind, cross-over trial, twenty-two young (age 24·9 (SD 4·6) years), normal-weight (BMI 21·8 (SD 2·1) kg/m²) males were randomly assigned to receive a brunch meal with either pepper (1·3 g), ginger (20 g), horseradish (8·3 g), mustard (21 g) or no spices (placebo). The amounts of spices were chosen from pre-testing to make the meal spicy but palatable. No significant treatment effects were observed on DIT, but mustard produced DIT, which tended to be larger than that of placebo (14 %, 59 (SE 3) v. 52 (SE 2) kJ/h, respectively, P=0·08). No other spice induced thermogenic effects approaching statistical significance. Subjective measures of appetite (P>0·85), ad libitum EI (P=0·63) and energy balance (P=0·67) also did not differ between the treatments. Finally, horseradish decreased heart rate (P=0·048) and increased diastolic blood pressure (P= 0·049) compared with placebo. In conclusion, no reliable treatment effects on appetite, EI or energy balance were observed, although mustard tended to be thermogenic at this dose. Further studies should explore the possible strength and mechanisms of the potential thermogenic effect of mustard actives, and potential enhancement by, for example, combinations with other food components.

Food consumption, energy and nutrient intake and nutritional status in rural Bangladesh: changes from 1981-1982 to 1995-96.

OBJECTIVE: To determine and evaluate changes in nutritional status, food consumption, energy and nutrient intake in rural Bangladesh, using appropriate statistical analyses. DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional surveys. Two seasons in 1981-1982 and 1995-1996. SETTING: Two villages with different production patterns. SUBJECTS: Anthropometric measurements of 1883 individuals, food consumption data of 404 households. METHODS: Repeated measurements of one-day food weighing and anthropometry in two seasons in 1981-1982 and 1995-1996. Mixed model analyses were used to evaluate and quantify temporal changes and their interactions with determinants. RESULTS: Prevalence of underweight children decreased from 82 to 70% (P=0.015), wasted children from 34% to 18% (P=0.009) and chronic energy deficient adults decreased from 78 to 64% (P<0.0001). Intake of fish and green leafy vegetables increased from (l.s. mean+/-s.e.) 23+/-3.0 to 40+/-1.8 g/person/day (P<0.001) and from 28+/-4.5 to 41+/-2.7 g/person/day (P=0.019), respectively. Rice intake remained unchanged: 463+/-12 g raw/person/day in 1981-1982 and 450+/-7.3 g raw/person/day in 1995-1996 (P=0.355). Calcium and iron intakes increased by 40% (P<0.0001) and 16% (P=0.0002), respectively, whereas vitamin A intake remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional status improved and intakes of nutrient dense food groups, fat, iron and calcium increased from 1981-1982 to 1995-1996.

The potential association between fruit intake and body weight--a review.

Both national and international bodies recommend an increased intake of fruits and vegetables in order to decrease the risk of overweight and obesity. However, there is a rationale to investigate the separate role of fruits. The aim of this paper was to systematically review and analyse published human intervention, prospective observational and cross-sectional studies on fruit intake and body weight in adults. We identified three intervention, eight prospective observational and five cross-sectional studies that explored this relationship. Two of the intervention studies showed that fruit intake reduced body weight, five of the prospective observational studies showed that fruit consumption reduced the risk of developing overweight and obesity, and four of the cross-sectional studies found an inverse association between fruit intake and body weight. Important methodological differences and limitations in the studies make it difficult to compare results. However, the majority of the evidence points towards a possible inverse association between fruit intake and overweight. Future intervention and prospective observational studies examining the direct and independent role of fruit in body-weight management in free-living individuals are needed. Moreover, important determinants such as energy density, energy content, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical form of fruit and preparation methods need to be included in future studies.