How spicy foods can kill cancers
Scientists have discovered the key to the ability of spicy foods to
kill cancer cells. They found capsaicin, an ingredient of jalapeno
peppers, triggers cancer cell death by attacking mitochondria - the
cells' energy-generating boiler rooms.
Capsaicin was tested on cultures of human lung cancer cells and on
pancreatic cancers. Lead researcher Dr Timothy Bates said: "As these
compounds attack the very heart of the tumour cells, we believe that
we have in effect discovered a fundamental 'Achilles heel' for all
cancers. "The biochemistry of the mitochondria in cancer cells is
very different from that in normal cells. "This is an innate
selective vulnerability of cancer cells." He said a dose of
capsaicin that could cause a cancer cell to enter apoptosis, would
not have the same effect on a normal cell. Cancer Research UK
recommends reducing your risk of cancer by eating a healthy,
balanced diet, with plenty of vegetables and fruit
The fact that capsaicin and other vanilloids are already commonly
found in the diet proves they are safe to eat. This could make
development of a drug containing them a much quicker and cheaper
process. Dr Bates said: "Capsaicin, for example, is already found in
treatments for muscle strain and psoriasis - which raises the
question of whether an adapted topical treatment could be used to
treat certain types of skin cancer. "It's also possible that cancer
patients or those at risk of developing cancer could be advised to
eat a diet which is richer in spicy foods to help treat or prevent
the disease." However, Josephine Querido, cancer information officer
at Cancer Research UK, said: "This research does not suggest that
eating vast quantities of chilli pepper will help prevent or treat
cancer. "The experiments showed that pepper extracts killed cancer
cells grown in the laboratory, but these have not yet been tested to
see if they are safe and effective in humans."
Dr Bates added that the mitochondria in cancer cells could also be
targeted by other compounds. He said the investigation and
development of anti-mitochondrial drugs for cancer chemotherapy was
likely to be "extremely significant" in the fight against cancer.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/6244715.stm
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