BioPerine

Designed to be a “thermonutrient,” BioPerine is a patented ingredient that is probably a good addition to other effective diet pill ingredients.

BioPerine’s active ingredient is piperine.  While BioPerine as well as piperine itself still lacks some difinitive research, this particular study seemed notable:

“Black pepper or piperine treatment has also been evidenced to lower lipid peroxidation in vivo and beneficially influence cellular thiol status, antioxidant molecules and antioxidant enzymes in a number of experimental situations of oxidative stress. The most far-reaching attribute of piperine has been its inhibitory influence on enzymatic drug biotransforming reactions in the liver. It strongly inhibits hepatic and intestinal aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase and UDP-glucuronyl transferase. Piperine has been documented to enhance the bioavailability of a number of therapeutic drugs as well as phytochemicals by this very property. Piperine’s bioavailability enhancing property is also partly attributed to increased absorption as a result of its effect on the ultrastructure of intestinal brush border.”1

Conclusion

While the jury is still out on BioPerine’s “thermonutrient” properties, it is aparent that it does aid in the absorption of nutrients.  Whether or not that increased absorption correlates directly to weight loss, I don’t know, but it’s definitely an added benefit.  Just be careful if diet pill companies start using this as their primary ingredient, claiming that it melts off the pounds.  Such claims have yet to be proven.

  1. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2007;47(8):735-48. [↩]