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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Science and Technology => Topic started by: Karlos on January 09, 2007, 07:22:28 PM
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Story here. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6244715.stm)
As if you needed any excuses to eat chillis anyway, but still, for those still unconvinced ;-)
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That is good news. I look forward to further developments :-) If chiles can help to kill cancer cells, why do they also believe that eating large quantities of them can cause cancer of the mouth/tongue/throat/oesophagus/stomach/bowel/anus/rectum?
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moto
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No, I think the case is that large quantities of chillies cure you of having a mouth/tongue/throat/oesophagus/stomach/bowel/anus/rectum...
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I was just typing a very sensible reply and then re-read your post :-) I have read that there are high rates of cancers of the mouth->bum in India, and this is thought to be attributable to the large amount of spicy food they consume.
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moto
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That's me buggered then :-(
If capsaicin does kill off cancerous cells, it's probably the ghee and other things causing it ;-)
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I think the spices can damage mucous membranes, which is presumably why it hurts when you eat it and clears your nose :-)
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moto
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Karlos wrote:
That's me buggered then :-(
So thats why the arse ache then? ;-)
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I once went to the loo after cutting some seriously hot evil little south asian chillis, the type which should come with biohazard warnings. I actually got blisters on my fingers from them later ;-)
Unfortunately I hadn't washed my hands properly before going to the bathroom.
Hours of excruciating pain with an additional bizzare side effect caused by the increased blood flow. You can imagine what that was. Suffice to say I could carry the tray with no hands afterwards...
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@Karlos
It it a pernicious habit my friend! ;-)
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Betel nuts are carcinogenic and many Asians have developed cancers because of chewing that. I haven't heard any evidence to suggest that chillies are carcinogenic.
There are diseases and cancers that are more common in certain population groups. Some of these increases are because of genetics, such as the prevalence of breast cancer in the Ashkenasi Jews.
South African Asians have a tendency to develop kidney stones. Carribean blacks have increased prevalence of Sickle Cell disease (which affects the blood) and the Japanese have an increased risk of stomach cancer (I haven't verified whether that is genetic or because of some dietary component. Next time I do studies for the Nippon Club I'll find out. Should have asked while I was there).
Now that I think of it, I have noticed increased occurence of kidney stones amongst the UK Asian patients I have seen too.