Capsaicin is a compound that provides many spicy foods with a kick. Some medical studies suggest that it might cause cancer. New research, limited at this stage to a mouse model, indicates that a compound in ginger called 6-ginergol could be able to counteract capsaicin’s potentially harmful effects.
The health information about capsaicin is contradictory. Here some studies have shown that peppers can have benefits, others suggest that diets rich in capsaicin might be associated with stomach cancer.
Due to the concerns, food scientists have been keen to see if the potential adverse effects of capsaicin can be blocked and, through various trials, 6-gingerol has been identified as a possible candidate.
Chemically capsaicin and 6-gingerol both bind to the same cellular receptor, and one that is related to tumor growth. This peculiar similarity sparked the interest of Chinese researchers.
According to laboratory Roots, a team led by Jiahuan Li and Gangjun Du began to examine mice and administered different chemical compounds. The mice used were genetically reared to be prone to lung cancer.
Over a period of several weeks, mice, divided into groups, were given either capsaicin or 6-gingerol alone, or a combination of both. The experimental results showed the mice that all of the mice that received only capsaicin developed lung carcinomas. For the mice fed 6-gingerol only, around half developed cancer. With the mice given the combination, the cancer rate fell to 20 percent.
It is possible, therefore, that in combination with the capsaicin, 6-gingerol could lower the risk of cancer. As to why this happens is uncertain and the molecular factors in play need to be unravelled. Such an indication will need further verification and tests on animal models do not necessarily deliver the same effects as with people.
The research is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The research paper is “Gingerol Reverses the Cancer-Promoting Effect of Capsaicin by Increased TRPV1 Level in a Urethane-Induced Lung Carcinogenic Model.”
