14 DAY TRIAL // Experts said yesterday that chillies may help in battling against prostate cancer. Capsaicin, the ingredient which makes the peppers hot, proved to destroy 80% of human cancer cells in tests on mice, which had been genetically modified to have human prostate cancer cells.
They were fed 8 habanera peppers a week, the world's hottest pepper, which led to a considerable decrease of prostate cancer cells. The cells were forced to commit suicide, a natural process called apoptosis which all cells are programmed to do. The cells, which otherwise would grow into tumors that spread throughout the body, causing ultimately fatal damage, are stopped from invading the body.
Habaneras have the highest content of Capsaicin, between 60 to 120 times more than the popular Jalapeno. Britain's Prostate Cancer charity made a few side notes for the study: "Eventually it may be possible to extract the capsaicin and make it available as a drug. However, high intake of hot chillies has been linked with stomach cancers. For now men with prostate cancer 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."
Worldwide, over a million news cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year, causing 200,000 deaths. According to the European School of Oncology, the incidence for cancer increased 1.7% during the past 15 years.