Chiles and Your Health

Chiles are low calorie and high fiber foods that are packed with vitamins A, C and E plus beta-carotene, potassium, and folic acid. In fact they have more vitamin A than carrots and more vitamin C than oranges. The large amounts of antioxidants in chiles make them excellent additions to cancer-prevention diets.

Like other colorful fruits and vegetables, chiles are rich in bioflavonoid and carotenoids, which are phytochemical pigments that help to bolster the immune system and protect DNA from cancer-causing hits from toxins and free radicals. Luckily chiles come in a variety of colors. Red chiles boost lycopenes, which may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Orange chiles provide a plentiful amount of beta-carotenes and antioxidants that may improve cell communication and help stop the spread of cancer. Yellow chiles will give you more lutein, which may protect vision. Green chiles contain cancer-fighting sulforaphanes, isothiocyanates, and indoles. So if you are into spicy food, it is a good idea to try different types and colors of chiles.

Capsaicin, the volatile alkaloid in chiles responsible for the heat has been studied to have several health benefits. It is being studied as an effective treatment for sensory nerve fiber disorders, including pain associated with arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy. In addition, Dr. Teel of Loma Linda University found capsaicin prevented the liver from turning some compounds in food into carcinogens. According to a cancer study done in 2005, scientists at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, found that capsaicin had a profound antiproliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells. The research team also found that capsaicin interfered with the cancer cells' ability to avoid apoptosis, which occurs normally in many tissues as they replace aged cells with new ones. Several doctors in Thailand reported a “blood clot dissolving activity” in humans using red pepper in their diets. It was found that a natural anti-clotting property in the food of Thai people (whose cuisine is very spicy) was much greater than the 55 Americans tested. But after the Americans ate a meal with chilies or simply held pepper extract in the mouth, it showed a significant drop in the clotting ability. To reinforce this research, cultures that have spicy diets such as Koreans, Indians and Melanesians have lower incidences of thromboembolisms (blood clots that cause stroke or heart attacks) than Westerners.

The Department of Food Science in Nonoichi, Japan performed a study that showed antihyperlipidemic and hypocholesterolaemic activity (which may lower heart disease risk) and also showed antibacterial activities. This explains why capsaicin also appears to help prevent ulcers by blocking the pathogen Helicobacter pylor (the bacterium that causes ulcers) in the digestive system. In a laboratory study a dose of capsaicin completely inhibited H. pylori growth after 24 hrs without harming the beneficial E. coli found naturally in the bowels. In another study, researchers compared the frequency and amount of chiles eaten with peptic ulcer rates. People with the lowest peptic ulcer rates ate the most chiles.

In summary, chiles have been shown to help prevent cancer, relieve pain, increase circulation, prevent strokes, lower the risk of heart disease and prevent ulcers. Tasty medicine I’ll say!

A CHILE PEPPER A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY!