Cayenne pepper in a meal: Effect of oral heat on feelings of appetite, sensory specific desires and well-being

The present study investigated appetite sensations, hedonics, sensory specific desires, physical- and psychological well-being sensations during and after intake of a meal with- and without increased oral heat induced by addition of cayenne pepper. Subjects (n = 66) completed a randomized cross-over study involving a tomato soup with and without added cayenne pepper (0.593 mg capsaicin). Self-reports were evaluated at 5 min intervals during intake and at 1 h intervals until four hours post intake using VAS-scales and 9-point scales. Sensory specific desires were further studied by liking and wanting of food samples representing the sensory profiles: sweet, sour, salt, bitter, fat and spicy, respectively. The soup with cayenne pepper added was perceived significantly more spicy but equally liked, and resulted in significant higher satiation at the end of the meal and one hour post intake. Further, adding cayenne pepper was associated with significantly higher sensory satisfaction during intake, and the subjects feeling significantly more energetic and overall satisfied one hour post intake. During intake of the soup with added cayenne pepper, desire for salty and spicy foods were significantly decreased and desire for sweet and fatty foods were significantly increased. The effects were partly mirrored in subjects' liking and wanting for foods with the same sensory characters. These results suggest that orally perceived heat through addition of cayenne pepper can induce changes in sensory specific desires, and that these changes can potentially influence eating behavior.