A high antioxidant spice blend attenuates human postprandial lipemia in vivo and potently inhibits pancreatic lipase in vitro

Culinary spices are a rich source of dietary phytonutrients that may attenuate postprandial triglyceridemia. We assessed the effects of adding 14.5 g of spice blend (cloves, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, ginger, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric) to a standardized meal in 20 healthy middle‐aged men and women in a randomized, placebo controlled, crossover design. Spiced test meals (1200 kcal, 50 g fat) consisted of a chicken and rice curry, corn muffin, and dessert pastry. Blood was sampled prior to the meal and at 4 additional time points (last sample 210 minutes after starting the meal). The addition of spices significantly reduced postprandial triglycerides (p < 0.0001). To examine a potential mechanism for reduction of postprandial lipemia, the spice blend was extracted with acetone:water:acetic acid (80:20:0.1) and tested for its ability to inhibit pancreatic lipase in vitro . The extract demonstrated potent inhibition of pancreatic lipase (IC 50 = 32.7 ug/ml). This work demonstrates that adding spices to a meal decreases postprandial serum triglyceride concentrations and this effect may be due to inhibition of pancreatic lipase. Grant Funding Source : McCormick Science Institute