Spicy Food Could Provide Compound to Fight Cancers ; News
The Independent - London
01-11-07
The compound that makes spicy food hot and generates the heat in muscle strain remedies could be the key to a new generation of cancer drugs that kill tumours with no side effects, a leading scientist has said.
Capsaicin, the active component of chillies, has produced "startling" results in tests to kill a variety of tumour cells including pancreatic cancer, one of the most difficult types of the disease to treat.
Dr Timothy Bates, who led the research at Nottingham University, said his team have discovered a potential Achilles' heel for all cancers because capsaicin targets the "powerhouse", or energy source, of tumour cells. The discovery could lead to the production of drugs to cure a variety of cancers at a fraction of the [pound]410m cost of developing conventional medicines, as capsaicin is already consumed daily by millions of people. Capsaicin is also commonly used as an active ingredient in muscle rub creams and the treatments for psoriasis.
Dr Bates said: "This is exciting and may explain why people living in countries like Mexico and India, who traditionally eat a diet which is very spicy, tend to have lower incidences of many cancers that are prevalent in the West. We appear to have discovered a fundamental weakness with all cancer cells."
The Independent - London
01-11-07
The compound that makes spicy food hot and generates the heat in muscle strain remedies could be the key to a new generation of cancer drugs that kill tumours with no side effects, a leading scientist has said.
Capsaicin, the active component of chillies, has produced "startling" results in tests to kill a variety of tumour cells including pancreatic cancer, one of the most difficult types of the disease to treat.
Dr Timothy Bates, who led the research at Nottingham University, said his team have discovered a potential Achilles' heel for all cancers because capsaicin targets the "powerhouse", or energy source, of tumour cells. The discovery could lead to the production of drugs to cure a variety of cancers at a fraction of the [pound]410m cost of developing conventional medicines, as capsaicin is already consumed daily by millions of people. Capsaicin is also commonly used as an active ingredient in muscle rub creams and the treatments for psoriasis.
Dr Bates said: "This is exciting and may explain why people living in countries like Mexico and India, who traditionally eat a diet which is very spicy, tend to have lower incidences of many cancers that are prevalent in the West. We appear to have discovered a fundamental weakness with all cancer cells."