San Diego Nutrition and Health

Are you a jalapeños fan?  If so, good news for you.  According to research studies published in the March 15, 2006 issue of Cancer Research, capsaicin, the extract in peppers that make them so hot, causes prostate cancer cells to self-destruct.  Additionally, researchers noted that mice with prostate cancer tumors who were treated with capsaicin had a tumor size 1/5 smaller than those not treated with capsaicin. 

“Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture,” said Sören Lehmann, M.D., Ph.D., visiting scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the UCLA School of Medicine. “It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumors formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models.”

According to the Scoville heat index, habañeras have the highest amount of capsaicin.  To get the equivalent amount of capsaicin fed orally to the mice in the study, a 200 pound man would need to eat 400 milligrams of capsaicin three times a week.  This is approximately 3-8 fresh habañeras a week, depending on the capsaicin content of the peppers. 

For someone who prefers the mild side of life, the thought of eating 3-8 hot peppers per week seems incredible.  I know there are people who eat hot peppers like candy though.  More power to them!