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Capsaicin linked to skin cancer?

Although it does raise questions about effects on mouth and esophogus for eaters, I would think. As with most things, I suspect, it would take large amounts over long periods to show an effect. See also: smokeless tobacoo, Tony Gwynn.

Nice find.
 
Eephus Man said:
Although it does raise questions about effects on mouth and esophogus for eaters, I would think. As with most things, I suspect, it would take large amounts over long periods to show an effect. See also: smokeless tobacoo, Tony Gwynn.

Nice find.
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Indeed. I think I'll take my chances ;)
 
I remember when oranges were thought to cause cancer :/ I'm not saying capsaicin isn't 'linked' or anything, I'm just a little weary when every 'month' something else has been shown to 'cause cancer'.... Just my 1cents. ;)

Spelling edit :P
 
sknxvll said:
I remember when oranges were thought to cause cancer :/ I'm not saying capsaicin isn't 'linked' or anything, I'm just a little weary when every 'month' something else has been shown to 'cause cancer'.... Just my 1cents. ;)

Spelling edit :P
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Indeed. And as with almost everything, moderation is tantamount.

Prehensile said:
People have been using Capsaisin as a topical treatment for Arthritis for centuries, Billions of people eat it every day.
http://www.scienceda...20327215605.htm
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Of course, historical use or other medical benefits do not exempt carcinogenic/mutagenic possibilities. :)
 
It is my opinion that the writer of the article you've posted is someone who does not eat spicy food and is phobic of chile heat. There is wayyyyy too much research proving otherwise. Case in point:

http://www.sixwise.c...ers-hot-004.htm

This as well as a number of other research papers prove otherwise. Albeit there may be a case to those with an already existing predisposition to skin cancer may have adverse effects the majority simply will not be affected by it. You know, we live in this society where once something is touted for its healing properties(ie: Acai berries, Goji berries, chile peppers, shark cartilage, glucosamine, chondroitan, echinacea, goldenseal, what have you) there will always be some nay-sayer(usually Big Pharma-driven) working in a concerted effort to debunk it.

We live in a society of "may" and "may" IS NOT concrete evidence(ie: This product 'may' cause tooth loss, Smoking 'may' cause birth defects and cause cancer, Drinking alcohol 'may' inhibit your ability to drive or operate a motor vehicle). The same goes for things that are NOT poisons to the body(ie: Acai berry 'may' lower blood pressure and boost immune function. Glucosamine/Chondroitan 'may' help relieve bone and joint movement. Eating chile peppers 'may' be corrosive to your digestive tract), YET... there is None, Zero, Zilch scientific nor medical research to back up that it causes any damage at all.

I will eat chile peppers and put them on my skin until the day that I croak at the ripe old age of 105. The rest of those writing such articles as the one that IceBarker posted will all die by the age of 50 due to their paranoia.

BUT... if you're applying non-organic capsaicin to skin that was derived from peppers saturated in Diazanon, BT, grown in a location where weeds were treated with RoundUp... you're right... it may be carcinogenic.
 
FuseBoxShot said:
It is my opinion that the writer of the article you've posted is someone who does not eat spicy food and is phobic of chile heat. There is wayyyyy too much research proving otherwise. Case in point:

http://www.sixwise.c...ers-hot-004.htm

This as well as a number of other research papers prove otherwise. Albeit there may a case to those with an already existing predisposition to skin cancer may have adverse effects the majority simply will not be affected by it. You know, we live in this society where once something is touted for its healing properties(ie: Acai berries, Goji berries, chile peppers, shark cartilage, glucosamine, chondroitan, echinacea, goldenseal, what have you) there will always be some nay-sayer(usually Big Pharma-driven) working in a concerted effort to debunk it.

We live in a society of "may" and "may" IS NOT concrete evidence(ie: This product 'may' cause tooth loss, Smoking 'may' cause birth defects and cause cancer, Drinking alcohol 'may' inhibit your ability to drive or operate a motor vehicle). The same goes for things that are NOT poisons to the body(ie: Acai berry 'may' lower blood pressure and boost immune function. Glucosamine/Chondroitan 'may' help relieve bone and joint movement. Eating chile peppers 'may' be corrosive to your digestive tract), YET... there is None, Zero, Zilch scientific nor medical research to back up that it causes any damage at all.

I will eat chile peppers and put them on my skin until the day that I croak at the ripe old age of 105. The rest of those writing such articles as the one that IceBarker posted will all die by the age of 50 due to their paranoia.
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Um...I think you might be proving your own point.

I don't think anyone is attacking the moderate use of anything here, and the study cited does, in fact, include scientific findings, not just assumptions. I don't believe anyone has said that chiles are 'corrosive' to the digestive tract. Too much of a good thing can turn bad. Morphine, for example, is possibly the king specimen of double-edged swords.

But at this point, I believe that MAY listed with smoking simply means it isn't a guarantee of cancer. However, there certainly a damn good chance with extended use.

Drinking alcohol DOES, WITHOUT A DOUBT, inhibit your ability to drive a motor vehicle. As someone that has come from almost two decades of performance driving, motorsports, and automobiles, I can tell you that there is no dispute there. And that includes some tests I've been a part of. HOW MUCH it affects your driving is another question. Under 'normal driving conditions' and depending on a lot of variables, including your tolerance and BAC, you'll probably get home just fine. But under duress, or when measured with a control group, this isn't even a question.

Seems as if your response might be a bit reactionary? :)

Either way, I think most here would agree that there are myriad benefits to chiles. But it stands to reason that there may also be some drawbacks. No reason it has to be only one way. That's how life works.

Moderation is key.
 
Eephus, I do agree that my response is indeed reactionary and for all good reason. It is how we are 'marketed' what is good and what is bad for us that gets under my skin(no pun intended). I will agree with you whole-heartedly on the topic of moderation. Anything taken to an extreme is instinct run riot and therefore destructive. There are always exceptions to the rule.

I guess I got a bit heated when reading the article because I just posted the benefits of capsaicin on epilepsy yesterday. I am a complex-partial Temporal Lobe Epileptic and have kept my electrical activity at bay with the use of capsaicin. Ive been med-free for 3 and a 1/2 years.

I'm no dermatologist but I do have one in the family so I'll ask HIM.

http://www.wellness....dermatologic-md
 
FuseBox, I saw that post. In fact, I subscribed to that thread because your story was so heartfelt, informative, and fascinating. I kept thinking it would make a really great special interest piece for either a health publication, a culinary pub, or both with a few changes.

Where in Texas are you, roughly?
 
I'm in California Eephus. I was in Rising Star off of I-20 when living there. Thanks for subscribing by the way. I guess at times it's hard for me to see the medical industry go back and forth on the benefits of, detriments of etc any substance that gives us hope. Doesn't it seem that any time there's something newly discovered to combat " "(whatever it may be) we're quickly shown otherwise almost always?

There is quite a bit of research touting the correlation between epileptogenic activity and capsaicin. Whereas grapefruit sets-off electrical activity(proven) capsaicin relieves it(proven). I just get damned heated when 'the media' abolish something of hope that we've been handed because it creates less humanhood than we all started with.
 
I would like to read the final article. I'm very curious as to where they obtained the capsicum to rub on folks and the amount they used.
 
I think you folks are confusing here-say with scientific evidence. There was an experiment carried out, the results came back as evidence that capsaicin used as a topical medication (likely in high doses) can cause cancer in mice. This does not mean that the experiment is conclusive, more studies need to be done, the test study needs to be peer-reviewed, and of course the test results need to be able to be replicated. This is not a sensationalist article, just saying that a study has been done, and informing us of the findings of the study. CORRELATION does not equal FACT.

A dermatologist will not have up-to-date information on this unless he read this particular test study. Since this is only one test study the scientific norm will remain that there are no confirmed connections between topical capsaicin and cancer. I'm sure we'd all like to see it so we'd have more concrete numbers. A new finding like this isn't something you should run to the hills over. Nor is it conclusive by any means. Like I said it is in the early stages. The dosages they likely used were high and the sample size they used was likely too low to be considered conclusive at the moment. They are testing the extremes to see if there is any correlation, and this test study does not necessarily have any impact on capsaicin at a reasonable dosage or hot peppers that have been eaten.

So everybody calm down, and eat your peppers. This is one test study. Don't blame the media, don't blame the science. You can't argue fact with opinion, you can only say that this does not yet mean that it is fact. Science has shown it, but scientific consensus has not been reached. It's a long process. It should also be noted that this study has absolutely no impact on the studies already carried out on the beneficial aspects of capsaicin.
 
"The dosages they likely used were high and the sample size they used was likely too low to be considered conclusive at the moment."

Isn't that the way we do things??? LMMFAO!!!

The dosage was probably enough to knock over an elephant but I see your point so I won't go running to the hills just yet. As for Dr. Milligan he's been in the field 34 years and has been the "Dermatologist to the Stars" as they'd noted him with clientele ranging from the late Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Liberace, the late Sammy Davis Jr. and more recently Martin Sheen. You're right in that he may not have all the answers but I do have a call in with him because for all of us I'd like to know what he has to say about it and I'll reflect it here verbatim once received.

I remember when they tested the effects of marijuana smoke on monkeys! It didn't come out until a just a few years ago when released that those poor monkeys were given a dosage of marijuana that would've kept the entire LA Zoo high for a week all in one shot. Is it any wonder when doing our testing we tend to shoot for the highest concentration available on our test subjects!

The objectivity within this thread has raised my spirits on an otherwise gloomy day. Thank-you Gentlemen. Thank -you.
 
Here is a full article ( found by a fellow member on the german ''hot-pain'' forum)
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/70/17/6859.full.pdf+html
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/71/8/2809.full.pdf+html
 
Has some scientist(See Global Warming UH I mean CLIMATE CHANGE) with a big fat grant, come up with a theory, so the giver of the big fat grant can make big fat bank.
 
Prehensile said:
Has some scientist(See Global Warming UH I mean CLIMATE CHANGE) with a big fat grant, come up with a theory, so the giver of the big fat grant can make big fat bank.
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Maybe. But I'd wager to say that one of those big fat pharma companies is already using capsaicin as an ingredient in one or more of their fat cat products. :)
 
My bet is the big pharma set up the "trial" to prove things in their favor... They can't make tons of money if everyone can grow their own meds.

Of course they'd want to keep it their secret
 
High amounts of capsaicin causes skin cancer? High amounts of alcohol cause comas? High amounts of oxygen cause retinal detachment? Golly. We can't look at this in a binary light. Too much of anything is less than beneficial. As many others have said time and time again- Moderation is key, muchachos. Also, big pharma, the liberal (or the mainstream, or the lamestream, or whatever else Fox is spewing now-but let's not start with them) media, and liberal scientists aren't paid to be working on some conspiracy. That is simply preposterous. Thank you, and good night. *steps off soap-box*
 
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