Researchers at Canada's Laval University suggest that a key chemical contained in chillies could boost the body's ability to burn fat and curb one’s appetite all in all helping to get rid of visceral fat.
Capsaicin is the chemical that gives chillies and chilli-based spices such as cayenne and paprika their characteristic pungency and also stimulates a natural process whereby some of the food we eat at each meal is converted immediately to heat.
Known as diet-induced thermogenesis, this process helps to burn belly fat because it means a person burns up calories automatically rather than storing them.
Scientists have found that diet-induced thermogenesis usually uses up carbohydrates, with various studies showing that we produce more heat after a high-carbohydrate meal.