Pill may burn calories of a 20-minute walk

NORMAN, Okla., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A weight-loss supplement tested by the University of Oklahoma has the potential to burn as many calories as a 20-minute walk.

Joel T. Cramer, assistant professor of exercise physiology, says General Nutrition Centers contracted with the University of Oklahoma to test the weight-loss benefits of the supplement called the tri-pepper blend, which contains black pepper, caffeine and a concentrated form of capsaicin -- the ingredient that makes red peppers hot.

The study showed energy expenditures of 3 percent to 6 percent -- results statistically significant enough to validate product weight-loss claims, Cramer said.

A group of study participants were given the supplement or a placebo followed by a metabolic rate test. The study measured oxygen consumed and carbon dioxide produced by participants to determine the arresting metabolic rate of each after receiving the supplements.

The study confirmed the viability of the weight-loss supplement, Cramer said.

The amount of the supplement blend required to achieve the equivalent of a 20-minute walk was not provided.