Spicy sauce cuts snack intake by 28% in new study

Researchers at Cornell University and Penn State examined how common eating habits affect food consumption. In a Cornell study published in *Appetite*, participants who drank an extra 100 g of water consumed about 39 g more food, adding roughly 49 calories. A separate experiment by Cunningham and co‑author John Hayes, reported in *Food Quality and Preference*, gave 49 adults either a mild or a cayenne‑pepper‑spiced dip with tortilla chips over two weeks. The spicy version slowed eating speed by 30% and reduced overall snack intake by 28%, even though chip amounts were unchanged and water intake during the snack was unaffected.

The findings suggest that adding heat to foods can naturally curb portion size by encouraging slower eating, while higher water consumption may inadvertently increase total calorie intake.