Some Like It Hot!
Capsaicin, the water-lover
In one study, scientists have found that where a chili plant grows determines how hot it will be. The wetter the place is, the hotter the chili can afford to be. Why? Because making the chemical capsaicin, which is what gives a chili its “hotness” is an expensive process for a plant. It takes a lot of energy to make those spicy fruits (chilies). If there is less water in the ground during fruiting season then the plant conserves its energy and makes less (and less hot) chilies. The plants that grow in areas of plenty water do not have that problem.
There is a reason for this. Spicier plants have more stomata (the little pores on leaves that exchange air and water from the plants) than non-spicier ones. That is why spicier plants have a tougher time during droughts (more pores means more water lost) than non-spicy plants. It could be that the same genes that control making of the pores also control the making of capsaicin. This would explain both the observations.
The "spiciness" of a chili is measured on a Scoville Scale. Here is the Wikipedia link, where you can see for yourself, how hot that chili you just ate, is!
Capsaicin, the anti-fungal
Here’s another angle. Where there is water, there are fungi. These fungi need to be fought off for the plants to be healthy. Guess what chemical is useful in fighting off fungi? You got it. Capsaicin! The more the capsaicin, the easier it is for a plant to fight off disease. So the spicier, hotter chili plants can do this better.
Capsaicin, the cancer-killer
Which leads us to the next finding. That capsaicin has also been found to arrest growth of cancer cells! A new research done by Nottingham University, UK, has found that capsaicin attacks the energy producing areas of cancer cells and triggers cell-suicide. It has not been found to harm healthy cells. Can this explain why people who traditionally eat a spicy diet have been found to have lower incidences of cancer than those that do not? It may be too early to tell for sure, but capsaicin seems like an interesting chemical to watch out for, don’t you think?
Short video on why chilies and peppers are hot:
i hate chilli but i hate cancer
fighting cancer goodby cancer (we hope)
Chili power vs cancer
I love peppers - well i love meat and spicy stuff
Gooooooo Chili
Amazing!!!! I'm glad somehthing will help cancer! Yea!
That sounds extremely spicy. I can't believe that a pepper could fight cancer. That is so cool. I wonder if there is a hotter pepper than the Bhut JOkalia and we just haven't found it yet. I honestly never really liked pepper, but its awesome that they fight diseases.
I like spicy foods
peppers are sooo hot!:)
That's cool!
peppers hot awww!
I knew my ability to beat the wing challenge at buffalo wild wings would pay off! i think that these ideas are awesome
this is so cool and fascinating, personally I love spicy things and have eatan red peppers and peppers before! I have also had many relatives who have been affected by cancer and never thought that the two would every mix!This article is so cool and hey anything they can do to fight cancers is a worth it try.
i loved this article, i thought it was very interesting how chilis can help cure cancer i never knew that!! maybe i will try to eat more chilis more often, even though i really dont like spicy things i can try some of the chilis that are more mild
I totally understand the problem, and i feel that it could get better through not only time ut also finding a cure for, cancer with chili. But i lovvvveee chili, i think it is scrumptious and very tasty, kind of like pasta, which is in my opinion just absolutely awesome.
This article is interesting because they found a use for something that noone would ever think that it could be used for like fighting cancer.
i think pickles taste better than peppers or chili and why is chili spelled the way it is it just is a weird word
did you know that a ghost pepper is the hottest pepper it the world
Ya it says it in the article dude.
Wow! It fights cancer! That is so cool!!!! It is also interesting that birds cannot taste the chemical in chili peppers. To them chili is not hot!!! COOL!
Wow! This article is amazing! Who ever thought spicy peppers could help fight a disease that has so far not been solved by any cure: cancer? I am reading a book right now (well, actually, I finished it today),"Deadly", and it is about scientists trying to find cures for typhoid in the 1900's. I made a connection from that book to his response. I found it interesting how people with a spicier diet have a less chance of getting cancer. I also didn't know that peppers living in areas with more water are hotter. I think that it is really cool that the capsaicin, the chemical in the pepper, can attack cancer-growing cells and still not harm the healthy cells. Before, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but now I think it would be cool to become a scientist that finds cures for diseases!
I think that is so cool that you can fight cancer with chili peppers!!
It is cool that chili will eventually be able to help science to fight cancer.
This is really cool how you can kill cancer with a chili! I wonder if scientist will end up using this as a real cure for cancer on many victims.
chili VS cancer wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i never knew this all about a pepper. that's amazing that it can fight cancer!
peppers are hot
i thought that it was awesome that it can help cure cancer!!! i also thought it was interesting how where ever the chili grows depends on how hot the chili gets. overall chillies are very interesting veggies.
I like chili peppers!
chillis are hot!
Awesome, new cure for fighting cancer?
In my opinion, I hate peppers because they are way to spicy for me. But, they are not all bad since they help fight cancer, and lots of people like them. So they must not be all bad!
COOL
Love chill pepers!!!!
I just wish Cancer was extinct. I feel sorry for those victims.
I never knew that that chili could be the end of cancer. The doctors and scientists should keep working on the cure so we can end cancer.
MMmmmm! I love hot! I think its really cool that people are fighting cancer with chilies! My Aunt Jules has to drink 1/4 cup of this mixture of chilies and viniger and stuff, its totally gross! she always drinks a ton of milk afterwords.
WOW this may be a breakthrough to curing cancer!
Yay! May all cancer patients read this(:
This could be used! If they can isolate capsaicin, it could prove to be the next cure for cancer!
I hate chillies but to prevent cancer, this is really prompting me to eat them. I never realized that chilies get hotter because of the amount of water in the soil. That is so interesting.
I don't like that hot.
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never knew that chili helps fight cancer!
Thats cool
I didn't know that the moisture of soil determined how spicy the chili was until I read this.
Wow!!! That's cool how they fight cancer from chili!!!
I once had a bhut jolokia. It was SO hot!
You are brave, my friend! I had it recently on my trip to North East India and for someone who can handle really hot stuff, i was afire for many minutes thereafter! :)
hey! are you from my class? i don't want to mention your name
she is n so am I. I love chilli peppers. <3