[floatr][/floatr]Taipei Times: Doctor debunks Japan's`chili pepper diet' myth
A man weighing 101kg ended up with more than a dozen stomach and duodenal ulcers after going on a "chili pepper diet," his doctor said. He had seen on the Internet that eating large amounts of hot peppers aided weight loss. "He ate large amounts of chili paste mixed with rice three times a day, every day," said Hsiao Tun-jen of Hsiao's Gastroenterology Clinic. "By the third week, his stools had turned black"... After taking appropriate medication and staying away from spicy food, the man has now recovered, Hsiao said. However, he failed to lose any weight on the chili pepper diet... Like many other fads, the chili pepper diet first came to Taiwan from Japan, where pop singer Utada Hikari started the sensation. "Just do a Web search for `chili pepper' and `weight-loss'," Hsiao said. "The Internet, women's magazines and advertisers all help to start and perpetuate many other dubious `miracle food' myths...Exaggerated claims have been made about everything from apples to seaweed jello"...more...
Utada Hikaru's weight also discussed here.