Ajinomoto Trademarks Capsicum Supplement for Weight

Ajinomoto Co.’s patented dietary supplement Capsiate Natura has been granted federal trademark registration on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The company calls Capsiate Natura the first and only dietary supplement with natural capsinoids extracted from the CH-19 sweet pepper. It says that research in the United States and Japan has shown Capsiate Natura to boost the body’s metabolism, without a burning sensation and other side-effect concerns.

“While most weight-management aids focus on the caloric intake, Capsiate Natura is unique in targeting the other side of the equation, the caloric output,” said Brendan Naulty, president of Ajinomoto Food Ingredients. “Increasing the body’s metabolism to burn more calories can be as important to weight management as diet and exercise.”

The CH-19 sweet pepper, a non-pungent variety of pepper discovered by Japanese plant biologists and grown by Ajinomoto Co. exclusively in Thailand, is the unique source of capsinoids, the key ingredient in Capsiate Natura. Ten thousand pounds of CH-19 Sweet pepper yield just one pound of capsinoids, which, unlike regular hot pepper extracts, are non-burning to the stomach and are safe partly because they cause no cardiovascular side effects, which is very important in therapeutic use. Ajinomoto says capsinoids’ safety and efficacy have been researched in nearly 50 extensive studies conducted in Japan, Europe, and the United States, to date.

First introduced in the United States in 2007, Capsiate Natura is available exclusively through medical professionals. Today, more than 200 doctors are distributing the product. “Capsiate Natura delivers the thermogenic punch of capsaicin, without the pungency or any adverse effects,” said Dr. Michael Kaplan, founder and chief medical officer of The Center for Medical Weight Loss, which distributes the ingredient.