Hot Sauce & Weight-Loss

I found one article from the NY Times from 2006 that talked about this and basically said... nobody knows, but maybe by a negligible amount. Like maybe it increases your metabolism by 8%... which on the grand scheme of things is very little. But hey, if you like hot sauce... go for it!!! I'm all about including the foods/condiments we enjoy, whether they "help" or not. And hey, if it does increase your metabolism by 8%, well, bonus!

It’s not really going to make a difference. Same concept as saying your body uses more energy drinking cold water because your body has to warm it before using it. Maybe one more calorie expended per serving. 🤷🏻‍♀️

If the hot sauce helps you stay under your calorie goal and tastes good, go for it!

I love hot sauces and spicy foods, but it's not going to make a significant difference for weight loss.

It's kind of like people thinking that ice water is better for weight loss than room temperature water. No. It really isn't

Calories
Calories
Calories

I believe the technical term would be "majoring in the minors".

Does eating capsaicin make us burn more calories? Yes. By a tiny, tiny number.

Some foods require more calories in the biochemical process of their being metabolized by the body. Generally, it's such a tiny number that it will be lost in the noise of unavoidable logging errors or estimates.

Plus it can be a distraction from things that actually matter for weight loss (calories), fitness (sensible exercise that's fun & tuned to slightly challenge your current fitness level), and nutrition (adequate macros, micros, fiber).

If one day you walk out to your mailbox twice (because the mail arrived later than usual), you've probably burned more calories in that extra walk than you get from the hot sauce . . . even if your mailbox is stuck on the front of your house.

What I like: Nando's Garlic Peri-Peri Sauce, Mrs. Refro's Smoked Salsa, Clancy's Fancy Hot Sauce (both strengths), my homemade tomatillo salsa with roasted sweet corn and cilantro, Mother-in-Law's Gochujang Fermented Chile Paste, among others. I like variety. I don't have a current favored brand, but the Caribbean-ish ones with nutmeg and such in them are great on fruit. I like the gochujang chile paste for putting in cooked dishes.

If you want to increase thermogenesis (calorie burn) related to food choices, make sure you're meeting or exceeding your protein goal, eating mostly so-called "whole foods", and drinking/eating something with caffeine in it regularly. It's still majoring in the minors, but probably slightly bigger small numbers than the capsaicin (i.e., hot-spiced things).

i doubt hot sauce alone will make enough difference to notice - if it makes a difference at all.

i have lots of very overweight friends who eat tons of hot sauce.

I live in New Mexico and love spicy food and eat a lot of it. This would fall under TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) and there is already some estimate of average TEF built into your calorie needs so it's not really going to make a difference. Kind of like drinking cold water burns a couple more calories than drinking room temperature water or digesting protein requires slightly more energy than digesting pasta. This all averages out in the whole of your diet.

Ineffective.

Unless taken in conjunction with apple cider vinegar.

Hot sauce is good when you like the flavor and it helps you eat foods you might not otherwise enjoy much (like chicken or fish). It has a few calories and you have to watch the sugar content of some. The "hot" in the hot sauce likely isn't going to raise your metabolism enough to offset the calories it contains.