While roasting chili peppers for salsa the other night, a friend and I became embroiled in a heated argument over capsaicin. This is the active component of chili peppers. I had read that it was an anticarcinogen, but my friend contended that it is the cause of throat cancer and other unpleasantries in eaters of spicy foods, and went on to note that Mexicans (many of whom eat hot peppers) boast a high rate of throat cancer. Could this be? I want to keep eating jalapenos, but I don’t want to jeopardize my pipes.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin (Zostrix)
Capsaicin
(kap-SAY-ih-sin) Zostrix Zostrix-HP (Rx)
Classification: Topical analgesic
Action/Kinetics: Derived from natural sources from plants of the Solanaceae family. Believed the drug depletes and prevents the reaccumulation of substance P, thought to be the main mediator of pain impulses from the periphery to the CNS.
Uses: Temporary relief of pain due to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Pain following herpes zoster (shingles), painful diabetic neuropathy. Investigational: Possible use in psoriasis, vitiligo, intractable pruritus, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, postmastectomy, vulvar vestibulitis, apocrine chromhidrosis, and postamputation and postmastectomy neuroma.
Special Concerns: For external use only.
Side Effects: Skin: Transient burning following application, stinging, erythema. Respiratory: Cough, respiratory irritation.
How Supplied: Cream, Lotion: 0.025%, 0.075%, 0.25%,
This site gives capsaicin a pretty bad rap, but there are also several sites out there, such as this site that make note of its utility as a pain reliever for cancer patients. Another site does address the cancer connection (stomach cancer being considered).
There’s a jillion sites that mention it, and this being the internet, you know they’re not all credible.
Go to http://www.thebighub.com and enter a search for “capsaicin and cancer” and you’ll find a lot of people’s takes on the stuff.
I find the stomach cancer thing a bit worrisome, as i am addicted to hot sauces-I go through a bottle of tabasco just about every week. I s there any data on cancer rates in states like Louisiana (where the cajun population literally drinks this stuff)? Should I lay off the tabasco?
Well, the thing is, I had been sort of patting myself on the back for enjoying what I thought was a healthy food…I regularly eat hot peppers in stir fry and other dishes…maybe I would be safer with the bland crowd.
Yeah, it seems that as a general rule you can say “If I enjoy it, it’s probably bad for me.” :eek:
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