Hot mouth, healthy prostate

[Guest guest]

If you can't handle chili peppers then what?

[Guest guest]

Scorched mouth, but healthy prostate

By Harper

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

March 16, 2006

Gentlemen, eat your chili peppers. Habanero, jalapeno, Scotch bonnet --

those hot but tasty varieties of the capsicum frutescens have multiple

health benefits -- including the ability to drive prostate cancer cells

to kill themselves, researchers announced yesterday.

        According to a team from the University of

California at Los Angeles and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the hot stuff

in peppers -- capsaicin -- caused 80 percent of active prostate cancer

cells growing in mice to " follow the molecular pathways leading to

apoptosis, " or cell death.

        The cancer cells literally committed suicide.

What's more, the cancer tumors of the mice treated with a hot pepper

extract were one-fifth the size of untreated mice.

         " Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative

effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture, " said Dr. Soren

Lehmann. " It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumors

formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models. "

        What does this mean in the kitchen? Tex-Mex or

curry fans are in luck: the hotter the pepper, the more the benefit.

According to Dr. Lehmann, the mice were fed a dose of pepper extract

equivalent to what a normal man might consume -- 400 milligrams of

extract three times a week. That amount translates to three to eight

fresh habanero peppers.

        Medically speaking, capsaicin inhibited the

action of NF-kappa Beta, a substance found in cells that causes them to

grow out of control. Capsaicin also regulates certain proteins that

effect the growth of the cells.

         " Increased concentrations of capsaicin caused

more prostate cancer cells to freeze in a non-proliferative state, "

according to the study.

        American men develop prostate cancer more than

any other type of malignancy -- 232,000 new cases are diagnosed in the

United States annually; 30,000 men die of prostate cancer in the United

States each year.

        Hot peppers have received accolades from

researchers in recent years for their antioxidant, or cancer-fighting,

effects. Anti-inflammatory properties in peppers have been tapped for

treatment of migraines, arthritis and muscle pain. Hot peppers also have

been found to suppress appetites and clear a stuffy head; they can

aggravate existing heartburn but not cause it.

        They are a good source of vitamins A, C and E,

folic acid and potassium. Peppers are low in calories and sodium and

contain no carbohydrates. Their taste has spawned numerous appreciation

societies around the world, not to mention global competitions to

determine the hottest variety on the planet.

        Still, the chili pepper came under fire in a

2002 Yale University report that established a link between the hot pods

and stomach cancer in Mexican workers who ate from 9 to 25 jalapenos a

day. The claim has been disputed by other researchers who found that

rates of stomach cancer declined in the United States -- though

consumption of salsa, chili and other hot foods actually had increased.

[Guest guest]

, I am not knowledgeable about pepper and what makes for capsicum.

I have always thought, and can be wrong, that it was the Cayenne, the red

chili peppers that were the most beneficial. You say that 'all' of those

hot varieties are good. I'm delighted, however, can you show us some

evidence that it is 'all' the hot peppers? There are hotter than Cayenne

but then again these add great taste to Tomato sauce. In Italy, a pasta

and tomato sauce (clearly not on Gerson's menu) is called 'Arrabiata' which

means, you guessed it, ENRAGED!

Joe C.

[Guest guest]

Caspacin is the particular oil in all peppers of the nightshade family that

actually has the desired effect. The hotter the pepper, the more caspacin

is present.

When you ingest any form of pepper, you are getting some of this. Cayenne

is most commonly used because it is most readily available in dry, powdered

form. However, if you want maximum benefit, dry, grind and eat habanera,

about 20 times hotter on the scovile scale (used to measure the heat of

peppers according to the caspacin oil found in them. (my personal favorite -

grow them year around)

Regards,

Bruce Guilmette, PhD

Survive Cancer Foundation

http://survivecancerfoundation.org <http://survivecancerfoundation.org/>

_____

From: [mailto: ] On

Behalf Of JCastron

Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 8:27 PM

Subject: Re: [ ] Hot mouth, healthy prostate

, I am not knowledgeable about pepper and what makes for capsicum.

I have always thought, and can be wrong, that it was the Cayenne, the red

chili peppers that were the most beneficial. You say that 'all' of those

hot varieties are good. I'm delighted, however, can you show us some

evidence that it is 'all' the hot peppers? There are hotter than Cayenne

but then again these add great taste to Tomato sauce. In Italy, a pasta

and tomato sauce (clearly not on Gerson's menu) is called 'Arrabiata' which

means, you guessed it, ENRAGED!

Joe C.

_____

[Guest guest]

That was good pepper information. I do know that the red cayenne grow

easily from seed and I suspect the Habanero are no different. I have

noticed that pests avoid them.

Additionally I have used the pepper as a pesticide on plants by boiling the

peppers and spraying the plants with it.

Joe C.

[Guest guest]

I was just passing along the article (from the Washington Times), which,

I believe, I saw on one of the other cancer lists, as well as elsewhere.

A search mght turn up additional information. Also, inquiring at a site

like drweil.com might provide some answers.

Best,

RB

   From: " JCastron " <jcastron1@...>

, I am not knowledgeable about pepper and what makes for capsicum.

I have always thought, and can be wrong, that it was the Cayenne, the

red chili peppers that were the most beneficial.   You say that 'all'

of those hot varieties are good.   I'm delighted, however, can you

show us some evidence that it is 'all' the hot peppers?   There are

hotter than Cayenne but then again these add great taste to Tomato

sauce.   In Italy, a pasta and tomato sauce (clearly not on Gerson's

menu) is called 'Arrabiata' which means, you guessed it, ENRAGED!

Joe C.

   From: robert-blau@...

Scorched mouth, but healthy prostate

By Harper

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

March 16, 2006

Gentlemen, eat your chili peppers. Habanero, jalapeno, Scotch bonnet --

those hot but tasty varieties of the capsicum frutescens have multiple

health benefits -- including the ability to drive prostate cancer cells

to kill themselves, researchers announced yesterday.

        According to a team from the University of

California at Los Angeles and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the hot stuff

in peppers -- capsaicin -- caused 80 percent of active prostate cancer

cells growing in mice to " follow the molecular pathways leading to

apoptosis, " or cell death.

        The cancer cells literally committed suicide.

What's more, the cancer tumors of the mice treated with a hot pepper

extract were one-fifth the size of untreated mice.

         " Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative

effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture, " said Dr. Soren

Lehmann. " It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumors

formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models. "

        What does this mean in the kitchen? Tex-Mex or

curry fans are in luck: the hotter the pepper, the more the benefit.

According to Dr. Lehmann, the mice were fed a dose of pepper extract

equivalent to what a normal man might consume -- 400 milligrams of

extract three times a week. That amount translates to three to eight

fresh habanero peppers.

        Medically speaking, capsaicin inhibited the

action of NF-kappa Beta, a substance found in cells that causes them to

grow out of control. Capsaicin also regulates certain proteins that

effect the growth of the cells.

         " Increased concentrations of capsaicin caused

more prostate cancer cells to freeze in a non-proliferative state, "

according to the study.

        American men develop prostate cancer more than

any other type of malignancy -- 232,000 new cases are diagnosed in the

United States annually; 30,000 men die of prostate cancer in the United

States each year.

        Hot peppers have received accolades from

researchers in recent years for their antioxidant, or cancer-fighting,

effects. Anti-inflammatory properties in peppers have been tapped for

treatment of migraines, arthritis and muscle pain. Hot peppers also have

been found to suppress appetites and clear a stuffy head; they can

aggravate existing heartburn but not cause it.

        They are a good source of vitamins A, C and E,

folic acid and potassium. Peppers are low in calories and sodium and

contain no carbohydrates. Their taste has spawned numerous appreciation

societies around the world, not to mention global competitions to

determine the hottest variety on the planet.

        Still, the chili pepper came under fire in a

2002 Yale University report that established a link between the hot pods

and stomach cancer in Mexican workers who ate from 9 to 25 jalapenos a

day. The claim has been disputed by other researchers who found that

rates of stomach cancer declined in the United States -- though

consumption of salsa, chili and other hot foods actually had increased.