This is a very brief article: http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/50/40299.htm?printing=true
"Hot chili peppers not only fire up your food, they may also put the heat on cancer cells and force them to self-destruct. A new study shows a natural substance found in chili peppers kills cancer cells by starving them of oxygen. Researchers tested the chili pepper substance (known as capsaicin) along with a related compound (resiniferatoxin) on human skin cancer cells to analyze how the cells reacted. Both compounds are natural substances known as vanilloids. They found that the majority of the skin cancer cells exposed to the substances died. The researchers say these substances seem to kill cells by damaging the cell membranes and limiting the amount of oxygen that reaches the cancer cells..." IIRC, there are population studies that suggest a lower rate of stomach cancers for people who eat a lot of chiles; also a higher pain tolerance (which would make sense, as capsaicin is used topically to deplete substance P, a pain neurotransmitter). Yee-Ha For Salsa Maru! __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
