Scientists have named a spice that will help burn fat and speed up metabolism

 If the results of a new study conducted by Texas A&M University and the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition in Mexico are correct, we may want to start adding more cardamom to our diet. Newsweek writes about it, UNIAN reports, UAINFO.org informs.

"We found that this little spice can burn calories and maintain body weight while increasing appetite and food intake," said Luis Cisneros-Cevallos, professor of horticulture and food sciences at Texas A&M University.

In a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (International Journal of Molecular Sciences), scientists fed mice a diet containing 0, 3, 6 or 12 percent cardamom seeds for 14 weeks. In the experiment, mice fed a cardamom-rich diet gained less weight than the control group, despite eating slightly more. This happened due to a decrease in fat content in the body, as well as an increase in muscle mass.

At the biochemical level, cardamom consumption increased the breakdown of fats and reduced the size of fat deposits, preventing the accumulation of fat in tissues. In addition, it was found that it increases the concentration of mitochondria - the "power stations" of the cell that produce energy - in muscle tissues and the liver. This increases the total energy expenditure of the cell.

The researchers found that these effects were caused by changes in the brain that control appetite, energy expenditure and fat storage.

At the same time, the authors of the study say that the average adult needs to consume at least eight to ten cardamom pods every day, which is a lot. Also, this study was only done on mice.