5: Salud Publica Mex 1995 Jul-Aug;37(4):339-43 [Beliefs about chili pepper consumption and health in Mexico City]. [Article in Spanish] Lopez-Carrillo L, Fernandez-Ortega M C, Costa-Dias R, Franco-Marina J, Alejandre-Badillo T. Centro de Investigaciones en Salud Publica, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Mexico. Eating chili peppers is a cultural tradition in Mexico. Controversial characteristics have been empirically associated to chili pepper consumption and human health. In this paper, the beliefs about the health impacts of chili pepper consumption in two independent groups of Mexico City residents are described. The results confirm, on the one hand, that there is a wide variety of health benefits and damages associated with chili pepper consumption, but on the other hand, that the levels of chili pepper consumption are not related to beliefs about its human health impact. PMID: 7502156 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
4: Food Chem Toxicol 1996 Mar;34(3):313-6 Capsaicin in hot chili pepper: carcinogen, co-carcinogen or anticarcinogen? Surh YJ, Lee SS. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8034, USA. Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is a major pungent ingredient of the Capsicum fruits such as hot green and red peppers. Besides its use as a food additive in various spicy cuisines, capsaicin is currently utilized for therapeutic purposes to treat various peripheral painful conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic neuropathy. Considering consumption of capsaicin as a food additive and its current medicinal application in humans, correct evaluation and precise assessment of any harmful effects of this compound are essential from the public health standpoint. Numerous investigations have been conducted to determine the potential mutagenic and carcinogenic activity of capsaicin and chili pepper, but results are discordant. This review briefly examines findings in the literature of studies testing mutagenicity and tumorigenicity of capsaicin and presents a possible mechanistic basis for the dual effects exerted by the compound. Publication Types: Review Review, tutorial PMID: 8621114 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]