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A Spicy Kick
25 December 2016

A Spicy Kick

Combating type 2 diabetes and obesity is a major medical, social and economic challenge for Western societies. Caused by an excessive calorie intake relative to consumption by the body, these conditions are best addressed by lifestyle changes, but scientists are also investigating other solutions. Raising resting metabolic rate, energy consumption without physical activity, is one means of burning more calories. After screening over 2000 compounds, researchers discovered that piperine, an alkaloid extracted from black peppercorns (pictured in cross-section) can boost the metabolism of skeletal muscle, vastly increasing the consumption of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of the body, in muscle fibres. As skeletal muscle accounts for on average 40% of body mass, this would have a significant impact. While piperine itself is likely to cause too many side-effects to be used as a drug, developing piperine-like pharmaceuticals with similar effects could yield new tools to facilitate weight loss.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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