General Nutrition Centers (GNC) Tri Pepper Blend diet pills are being marketed as a powerful calorie-burner – as effective as a 20 minute walk. GNC funded the University of Oklahoma Health and Exercise Science Department to evaluate the weight loss potential of the Tri-Pepper Blend. The results of their study have been published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The study showed that taking the pills effectively increased the metabolic rate thus boosting calorie consumption. However, putting it all in context, a 20 minute walk will only burn around 100 calories – not a great deal in the context of weight loss.

Pros:

• Clinically evaluated ingredients
• GNC is a reputable company with a high quality website and many retail stores nationwide

Cons:

• The clinical study was carried out on young healthy twenty-something volunteers who also took exercise as part of the testing program
• Tri Pepper Blend contains caffeine which can have side effects
• A 20 minute walk doses not actually result in the burning of that many calories

Tri Pepper Blend Ingredients

Tri Pepper Blend contains 200mg of caffeine, 33.3 mg of capsicum extract, 20mg of niacin and 5mg of bioperine. The dosage of caffeine is relatively high and represents about 70% of the recommended of the daily intake.

Tri Pepper Blend’s ingredients in greater detail are:

Bioperine: This ingredient is a standardized extract from the fruit of Piper nigrum L (black pepper) or Piper longum L (long pepper). It contains 95 percent Piperine. Bioperine has been shown in clinical research to increase the absorption of ingredients in nutritional supplement formulations. Additional absorption, even if true, may or may not necessarily be beneficial. It is possible that the use of Bioperine may increase the side effects of certain supplements due to increased absorption.

Caffeine: This compound has been shown to have very modest effects in stimulating the metabolism, and is frequently found as an ingredient in weight loss pills. These pills often make claims about speeding metabolism to melt excess body fat, but in reality the amount of calories that are burnt as a result of taking caffeine are low.

Capsicum extract: The active ingredient in capsicum is capsaicin. This compound is found in chilli peppers. It is believed that capsaicin generates heat in the body, thereby boosting the burning of calories. However, it appears that very high doses are required for it to be effective. Severe gastrointestinal side effects have been reported in patients ingesting capsaicin. While rare, serious allergic reactions to capsaicin can occur. Contact a physician immediately should difficulty breathing, skin rash, hives, swelling of the throat, lips, or face, severe dizziness or itching be experienced.

Niacin: This B vitamin plays a major role in releasing energy from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This is the why niacin is included in some weight loss supplement formulas.

Tri Pepper Blend clinical study

The Tri Pepper Blend clinical study was a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial, performed on 28 healthy young volunteers at the University of Oklahoma Health and Exercise Science Department. Changes in the metabolic rates of the subjects taking the supplements in the study were gauged by measuring the rates at which oxygen was inhaled and carbon dioxide was exhaled. The researchers established that the weight-loss supplement produced significant results.

However, the research paper itself comes to an appreciably different conclusion than the press release from the manufacturer. The press release stated that the Tri Pepper Blend “has the potential to burn as many calories as a 20-minute walk”. However, the paper focuses on how the supplement, when combined with exercise, boosts energy consumption. The paper concludes that “Thus, it is possible that the thermogenic supplement used in the current study may aid in weight management when combined with long duration (60 minutes) low intensity (walking) exercise. This hardly equates to stating that taking Tri Pepper Blend is equivalent to the calorie burning effect of a 20 minute walk. In any event a 20 minute walk will only burn around 100 calories which, unfortunately, is not a great deal.