לאהלעלות

The ingredient which makes jalapeno peppers hot also makes prostate cancer cells commit suicide, a study suggests.
Tests showed that capsaicin triggered 80% of the cells to start the process leading to cell death.

The US research in the journal Cancer Research also found tumours treated with capsaicin were smaller.

UK prostate experts say capsaicin could be the basis of a future drug but warned eating too many hot peppers has been linked to stomach cancer.

We caution men with prostate cancer in the UK against upping their weekly intake of the hottest known chillies

Chris Hiley, The Prostate Cancer Charity

In the study, researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center studied mice who had been genetically modified to have human prostate cancer cells.

They were given a dose of pepper extract equivalent to a man of 200 pounds (90.7kg) taking 400 milligrams of capsaicin three times a week.

That would be the same as having between three and eight fresh habanera peppers - the highest rated peppers for capsicum content.

Normal cells go through a constant process where millions die every second - a process called apoptosis - while millions more are made, to keep the numbers the same.

But cancer cells avoid that process and "dodge" apoptosis by mutating or deregulating the genes that participate in programmed cell suicide.

Capsaicin was seen to increase the amount of certain proteins involved in the apoptosis process.

Capsaicin also reduced the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by cancer cells.

Fish intake

Dr Soren Lehmann, who led the study, said: "Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture.

"It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumours."

Chris Hiley, head of policy and research at The Prostate Cancer Charity, said: "This is interesting laboratory-based work on cells but we don't yet know how, if at all, it might help men with prostate cancer.

"Eventually, it may be possible to extract the capsaicin and make it available as a drug treatment.

"In the meantime we caution men with prostate cancer in the UK against upping their weekly intake of the hottest known chillies - high intake of hot chillies has been linked with stomach cancers in the populations of India and Mexico.

"For now, if men with prostate cancer want to improve their diet they should avoid fatty foods, eat less red and processed meat, increase their fish intake and enjoy a wide and plentiful range of fruit and vegetables every day."

E-mail this to a friend Printable version

LINKS TO MORE HEALTH STORIES

SelectParents to learn sick baby's fateSix taken ill after drug trialsSmall babies' 'higher abuse risk'Pepper 'kills prostate cancer''Bored' gynaecologist blasts NHS1,000 children 'consider suicide''Quickie' facelifts under attackNanotech helps blind hamsters seeEuro MPs back mercury crackdownDrugs 'can reverse heart disease'Cash boost for community dentistsInquiry call after cancer deathRejecting meat 'keeps weight low'Site for £100m hospital announcedHole-in-heart linked to migraineFears over patient record systemTrust to cut 185 hospital postsHeart disease and strokeCancer: The factsPregnancy timeline

SEE ALSO:
Prostate cancer op delay 'safe'
04 Mar 06 | Health
Prostate cancer news 'by phone'
04 Nov 05 | Health
Doubt over prostate cancer test
10 Jan 06 | Health

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
The Prostate Cancer Charity
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research journal
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

TOP HEALTH STORIES NOW
Parents to learn sick baby's fate

Six taken ill after drug trials

Small babies' 'higher abuse risk'

Pepper 'kills prostate cancer'

| What is RSS?

News Alerts E-mail services Mobiles/PDAs Headlines for your site
BBC Copyright Notice Back to top Help Privacy and Cookies Policy News sources About the BBC Contact us