The study which might very well help provide a treatment and prevention against bowel cancer was conducted on mice which were genetically prone to developing such cancerous tumours. As part of the experiment scientists gave mice to eat capsaicin, the active component of chilli peppers. The results were amazing: the average lifespan of each mouse was extended by more than 30 percent. The amazing result could only be explained by the fact that tumour risk was reduced as pain receptors were triggered.
The active component which produces a sensation of burning in every tissue it comes in contact with can thus help cure developing tumours from the gastrointestinal tract. The key here is to detect such tumours in time and act on it. This is indeed great news especially since bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world.
The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. As part of the conclusions took after the study scientists are asking people who are at risk of getting rectal or colon cancers to use capsaicin as part of their diet in order to inhibit tumour growth.
