Black Pepper Extract for Fat Loss

Black pepper fruit extract has multiple bio-activities that appear to support fat-burning efforts.

• Supporting metabolism via digestion-enhancing activity
• Promoting thermogenesis (heat generation), which reinforces its metabolic support
• Suppressing the formation of fat cells by modulating fat-forming proteins

Overview

Black pepper is a flowering vine native only to the southwestern Kerala province of India. Its small, round fruit is dried and ground into a spice and food seasoning.

Black pepper has been used as a spice in India since prehistoric days and traded since at least 2000 BCE. It was called the ‘king of spices’ and nicknamed ‘black gold’ because it was valued as much as gold, mainly for its health-supportive purposes. In ancient times, peppercorns were so valuable, they were even used as currency in place of coin in India.¹ Black pepper is still valued today, and it is one of the plants included in the Millennium Seed Bank.

In traditional herbalism, Ayurvedic practitioners used black pepper for a wide variety of health issues including respiratory issues, stomach problems including constipation and diarrhea, aches and pains, skin problems, and parasites.

Hans Christian Orsted discovered the bioactive chemical piperine in 1819, when he isolated it from the black pepper plant.²

Since Orsted’s piperine discovery, modern research has reinforced the effectiveness of many of the ancient black pepper remedies. Evidence now suggests black pepper extract can reduce or eliminate infections caused by parasites, like Malaria; helps modulate some inflammatory responses; and functions as an antioxidant.

Black Pepper Extract’s Fat-Burning Bio-Activities

Bioperine is believed to aid weight loss through several actions of its active ingredient piperine.

Metabolic Support

Peppers extracts like capsaicin and other spicy foods are valued for their fat-burning, metabolism boosting properties, and black pepper extract may benefit bodies in a similar way. Pepper can aid digestion, which promotes better body function and healthy weight management.

Rat studies suggest that the piperine in black pepper also works to improve liver function, normalize blood pressure, and modulate inflammation. The combined effects of those physiological changes may further increase metabolism.³

Finally, the outer shell of peppercorns may help to break down fat cells, making them easier for the body to dissolve and burn for energy.⁴

Piperine may also contribute to the above effects by stimulating the MC-4 receptor which affects metabolism, and by modulating the action of enzymes involved in fat metabolism, such as Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and Lipoprotien lipase (LPL).⁵

A Thermogenic Agent

Piperine is believed to enhance thermogenic activity. One proposed mechanism is that piperine acts as an agonist, stimulating two receptors that play a role in thermogenesis and enhance the body’s metabolism – TRPV1 and TRPA1.  Activation of TRPA1 in particular is linked to increased temperature of brown fat — special fat deposits that burn energy and produce heat.⁶

Blocking Fat Cells

Piperine may suppress adipogenesis – the creation of new fat cells. This is believed to result from piperine inhibiting the activity of the proteins PPARγ and LXRα, which play a key role in fat formation by regulating specific genes. This may explain why several animal studies showed reduced weight gain and blood lipid (fat) levels following piperine supplementation.⁷

Although the anti-adipogenic property of black pepper seems to block the production of new fat cells in rodent studies, researchers at Purdue University caution that black pepper’s fat-burning potential may not be prompted just by taking a pill — instead they suggest the taste of pepper may actually play a role in its effectiveness.⁸

Research

Animal Research

Studies done in animals show some promise for using piperine as a weight loss agent.

Piperine 20-40 mg/kg bodyweight may cause weight loss and reduce obesity-related parameters in obese mice

This study examined the anti-obesity effects of piperine on overweight rats. The rats were first fed a high-fat (HF) diet for 15 weeks to induce obesity, and then divided into HF, or HF supplemented with 20, 30, or 40 mg/kg bodyweight piperine groups for 42 days. The trial found that all doses significantly decreased bodyweight and lowered other biological markers of obesity such as insulin resistance, with the highest dose (40 mg/kg) resulting in the strongest effect. At the end of the study, the HF-only rats weighed an average of 527 g versus 369.2 g for rats fed HF plus 40 mg/kg piperine.

• The researchers concluded that “these observations strongly suggest that piperine, a major phytoconstituent of black pepper serves as an effective therapeutic agent for the management of obesity and hypertension”⁹

Piperine 0.03-0.05% of diet may reduce body fat accumulation in obese mice

This study look at the effects of piperine (PIP) and black pepper extract (BP) on metabolism in obese mice. The mice were fed either a control high-fat, high-sucrose (HFS) diet, or HFS plus 0.03% PIP, 0.05% PIP, or 1% BP. 0.05% PIP was found to reduce bodyweight gain compared to the control diet, and both 0.03% and 0.05% doses resulted in reduced visceral fat, which is stored around the abdominal organs. The researchers suggest that piperine works primarily by stimulating receptors associated with metabolism.

• The researchers concluded that “These results indicate that BP suppresses the effect of body fat accumulation mainly through the action of PIP”⁶

Piperine may suppress the formation of new fat cells

The goal of this study was to investigate how piperine may affect adipogenesis – the formation of fat. Using mice cells, the researchers found that piperine suppresses the formation of new fat cells by inhibiting the action of the proteins PPARγ and LXRα, which are also present in humans.

• The researchers concluded that “our findings suggest that piperine, a major component of black pepper, inhibits fat cell differentiation by down-regulating the transcriptional activity of PPARγ (and LXRα) and suppressing the expression of PPARγ (and LXRα), thus leading to its potential use in the treatment of obesity-related diseases”⁷

Piperine 40 mg/kg bodyweight may have anti-obesity and fat-lowering activity

This study examined the effects of piperine on body weight and blood fat levels in obese mice. The mice were split into the control high-fat diet and high-fat plus piperine 40 mg/kg bodyweight groups. Piperine was found to significantly reduce body weight (12-15% less than control), fat mass, and blood fat levels, along with increasing HDL – the “good” cholesterol. The researchers suggest that piperine may work by acting on the MC-4 protein receptor which has been associated with obesity, in addition to affecting enzymes associated with fat metabolism.

• The researchers concluded that “the above results suggests that piperine significantly possesses a lipid lowering effect and anti-obesity activity without any change in appetite”⁵

Dosage Notes

• Successful studies in animals suggest that piperine 20-40 mg/kg bodyweight per day is effective and does not appear to produce any side effects.
• Retail supplements supply much lower amounts for humans, typically in the dosage range of 5 mg – 10 mg per serving

Side Effects

Although there is no specific information available on the side effects of bioperine, given that it is based largely on piperine – the main active ingredient of black pepper – it can be assumed to be safe. After all, black pepper has been a part of the human diet for thousands of years.

Black pepper extract may irritate the intestinal lining in some, and people who have recently undergone stomach or intestinal surgery should use it with caution or avoid using it altogether

Piperine’s ability to enhance absorption of other nutrients may be considered a positive “side effect.” Black pepper extract increases the bioavailability of curcumin, the effective substance found in turmeric and ginger, by up to 2000%.¹³ It also increases the absorption of green tea catechins, a combination which could be beneficial to weight loss programs.

Available Forms of Black Pepper Extract

• Bioperine® is a patented, branded black pepper fruit extract standardized to contain at least 95% piperine.
• Other non-branded standardized black pepper extracts do exist, ranging from 90% – 95% piperine

References