Gochujang elicits anti-obesity effects by increasing capsaicin-independent brown adipogenesis and thermogenesis in high-fat diet induced obese mice

It is unknown whether Gochujang, a traditional Korean fermented food triggers thermogenic energy expenditure. This study aims to investigate the impact of Gochujang on brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation and white adipose tissue (WAT) browning. The groups were: normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HD, 60% of fat calories), HD with 10% of Gochujang (HG), HD with equivalent capsaicin dose found in Gochujang (HCL; 0.00003%), HD with high-dose of capsaicin (HCH; 0.01%). Compared to HD group, HG group had a lower tendency in body weight gain, while HCH group showed a significant reduction. After acute cold exposure, HG group showed higher rectal temperature than HD group. HG group had upregulated BAT activation-related protein levels in both basal and cold conditions. After cold treatment, HG group showed increased levels of WAT browning associated protein. This study demonstrated Gochujang's thermogenic capacity, also its roles in BAT activation and WAT browning independent of capsaicin.