Secret weapon: Peppers are full of flavor and nutrtion, and might help you lose weight.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Researchers already know that capsaicin, a bioactive compound that makes chile peppers hot, can rev up your metabolism and help you feel fuller sooner. But new research from UCLA suggests that a similar compound found in non-spicy peppers could help people lose weight, too.

THE DETAILS: In the small study, presented at the Experimental Biology meeting last month in California, food scientists recruited 34 men and women who consumed low-calorie, liquid meal-replacement meals for 28 days. Half also took supplements containing a non-burning version of capsaicin called dihydrocapsiate (DCT), and the other half was given placebo pills. The researchers found that energy expenditure was significantly higher (nearly double that of the placebo group) for at least several hours after the meal in the group that consumed a serving of DCT with its meal.

WHAT IT MEANS: While there's more evidence showing the spicy peppers can jump-start your metabolism and help you feel fuller faster during a meal, this new research gives another option to those of us who aren't into spicy pepper varieties. The authors of the new report caution, however, that the metabolism-boosting effects of non-spicy peppers may be limited those who are overweight. In addition, they didn't test the effect on people eating a normal diet; the study only looked at people eating the same meal-replacement liquid diet.