Effects of pungent ingredients of ginger on energy expenditure by brown adipose tissue in humans - Human brown adipose tissue and ginger

Whole-body energy expenditure (EE) after oral ingestion of Grains of Paradise extract (GP) or placebo was measured for 2hr in 19 healthy male volunteers. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity was undetectable and high in 7 and 12 subjects, respectively. Resting EE of the BAT-positive group was 1,473 +- 202 kcal/day (mean +- SD), not differing from that in the BAT-negative group (1,551 +- 132 kcal/day). After oral ingestion of GP, EE of the BAT-positive group increased in 2 hr by 5.9 +- 5.1 kcal/2hr, which was greater (P<0.05) than that of the BAT-negative group (-0.8+- 6.4 kcal/2hr). Placebo ingestion produced no significant change in both groups. Neither capsinoids nor placebo changed skin temperature in various regions including those close to BAT deposits. 1.Symposium "Brown Adipose Tissue 2011 Update" (June 18, 2011, Sapporo), Abstract book, p.72.