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Hot pepper may cool indigestion - Health update - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Men's Fitness, August, 2002

Is your gut on fire? Take two jalapenos and call us in the morning.

It's a finding worthy of Ripley, but scientists at the University of Bologna in Italy have discovered that feeding red pepper to patients with chronic indigestion or indeterminate stomach pain reduced symptoms of discomfort by 60 percent.

The subjects were given 2 1/2 grams of red pepper in pill form before meals for five weeks. A control group receiving a placebo reported a 30 percent drop in symptoms. The investigators concluded that capsaicin, a tasteless, odorless chemical found in many peppers, blocks the transmission of pain signals from the gut to the brain.

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Previous studies have shown that topical creams made from capsaicin can help ease the discomfort of shingles, arthritis and nerve pain, and preliminary research suggests that capsaicin may help deactivate nitrosamines and other carcinogens as well as protect against ulcers.

Ironically, capsaicin is the same substance that gives chilies and hot sauces their heat. Intensity is determined by the concentration of capsaicin, as measured in something called Scoville units: Bell peppers get a zero; the humble jalapeno churns up 2,500 to 5,000 units; the hellacious habanero rates 300,000 units; and pure capsaicin scorches in at 15 million units.

So, should Satan's Blood, Liquid Stoopid and Dave's Gourmet Ultimate Insanity Sauce take their places in your medicine cabinet beside the Maalox and the Tums? Study author Dr. Mario Bortolotti cautions that the study dosage was equivalent to two or three spicy entrees per day, a hotness quotient that's tough to duplicate in most Western diets. (Cayenne or capsicum capsules containing capsaicin are available for those who shy away from fiery foods.) Il dottore notes that the capsaicin dose initially increased indigestion symptoms, and he suggests that patients check with their physicians in case gastric symptoms are being caused by an underlying disorder.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Hot pepper may cool indigestion - Health update - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Men's Fitness, August, 2002

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