Are hot peppers medically dangerous?

[Nitack]

Originally Posted by Racoon

They are fruits after all. Fruits are good for you. (Its a fruit because they contain seeds within)

There is one fruit which has the seeds on the outside...

[freeztar]

Strawberries...

I'd still like to know if anyone has any more info on the potential link between peppers and stomach cancer.

It's hard to find a definitive answer on this. Take this blog post for example:

Excessive ingestion of hot peppers has been considered to be a risk factor for gastric and hepatic cancers. Chili and more specifically capsaicin consumption has been shown, however, to be protective against stomach cancer (Surh et al. 1998). In Mexico, where people heavily consume peppers, the frequency of gastric cancer is relatively low (Surh et al. 1998). In the United States, moreover, the rate of stomach cancer incidence has been declining for the past twenty years despite increased chili pepper consumption (Surh et al. 1998). Human gastric cancer may be caused by a number of factors: salty, smoked, or pickled foods, cigarette smoking, insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, and Helicobacter pylori. Capsaicin seems to have some inhibitory effects on carcinogenesis induced by chemical carcinogens such as vinyl carbamate (Surh et al. 1998). Treatment with capsaicin before exposure to gaseous chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide has been shown to protect against free radical-induced pulmonary damage in rats (Surh et al. 1998). Capsaicin is also observed to inhibit inflammatory responses related to tumor promotion (Surh et al. 1998).

All those references are to a 1998 article by Young-Joon Surh, Ph.D. In 2002, Dr. Surh wrote an editorial for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute about the latest research on capsaicum: More Than Spice: Capsaicin in Hot Chili Peppers Makes Tumor Cells Commit Suicide. He stated that “The role of capsaicin in carcinogenic processes is quite controversial. Although some investigators suspect that capsaicin is a carcinogen, co-carcinogen, or tumor promoter, others have reported that it has chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects.” After a detailed look at the current state of knowledge of how it affected cells, he concluded...

Hot Peppers - any link with gastric cancer? PSA Rising Prostate Cancer Blog

There appears to be several studies whose results contradict one another.

[mynah]

Originally Posted by Nitack

There is one fruit which has the seeds on the outside...

At least two I can think of...

[Nitack]

Originally Posted by mynah

At least two I can think of...

Strawberries were the one I knew of. What other fruit has the seeds on the outside?

[mynah]

Pineapples - though the ones we eat are usually not fertilised. I've seen a fertilised pineapple with grape-sized berries on the outside!

[Nitack]

Originally Posted by mynah

Pineapples - though the ones we eat are usually not fertilised. I've seen a fertilised pineapple with grape-sized berries on the outside!

Holy Shcnikeys, I did not know that.

Edit: Um... I have been reading and what I can find says that pineapple seeds are only on the inside, but that it is rare to find a seeded pineapple because they are self-sterile (self pollination will not produce seeds) and only a hummingbird can pollinate them normally.

[freeztar]

Let's keep it on topic please. Feel free to start a new thread if you'd like to continue the fruit discussion.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

Just to clarify, I didn't mean to refer specifically to allergies, just a similar response.

I'm thinking that since capsaicin is an inflammatory, it can cause swelling, and might cause the airway to close when too much is ingested. The whole, "OMG... I can't breathe" response...


Another potential issue which just occurred to me... If you get any on your fingers, be sure to wash your hands before using the mens room.

Yes also don't affectionately intimately fondle your girlfriend either after chopping chillies, especially with habaneros.
it is almost impossible to get capsaicin off your hands Wash a lot of times with strong detergent soap, cooking oil and/or alcohol, and watch under fingernails. Capsaicin is not soluble in water.
If you get done by the cops don't let them put water on you as is the practice here. that will make the effect worse.

Usually the asthma/air type problem comes only if your are allegic or asthmatic. Some people are allergic but often the effect is more psycholocal than real (of couse that can be a problem too).
Also the extreme amount of capsaicin used in police sprays can and has caused death.
There was one study whre some boared gastro. doctors poured almost pure capsaiacin into some poor bugger's stomach and then watched with a camera. There was a lot of blood going to the stoamch wall (capsaicins are hyperanemic rather than inflamatory) and that's about it. Really quite tame.
The hyperanemic effect is another reason capsaicins are good in sports and arthritic rubs they pronbaly promote digestion as well.

[mynah]

I can vouch for the heat of habanero on the hands... Nothing helped until someone suggested fresh tomato juice, which seemed to bring instant relief.

We often serve side dishes of diced bell pepper and of diced tomatoes with hot chilli to dampen down the heat, or add potatoes to an over-hot curry while it is cooking. Is it mere coincidence that all these vegetables are quite closely related to each other? Any members of this forum willing to volunteer for a scientific test?

[pamela]

well i have entered jalapeno eating contests( made it to 14), but you havent lived until you have eaten 2 whole habeneros.As the water is gushing from my eyes, my face is beet red, and no sound is coming out of me, although my mouth is open, terrified my mom so badly, that she tried to take me to the emergency room.I wouldnt go of course, but it took quite a while for me to recover. Crackers, bread, sugar- nothing worked to stop the burning heat. Aside from the pain, it was quite a rush!