Following on the news of the drop in cancer deaths for the second consecutive year, the American Cancer Society is launching the Great American Health Challenge to educate and motivate Americans to take action to reduce their cancer risk. Many Americans are concerned about potentially developing cancer, but in fact, at least 50 percent of cancer deaths could be prevented through healthy lifestyle factors, including not smoking or using other tobacco products, maintaining a healthy body weight, getting sufficient physical activity, eating a healthy diet, limiting consumption of alcohol, and getting cancer screening tests. Research indicates that cutting cancer death rates by 50 percent nationally would save about 280,000 lives every year in the United States.

“A recent American Cancer Society survey found that 59 percent of adult Americans(i) are concerned personally about getting cancer,” said Richard C. Wender, MD, president, American Cancer Society Board of Directors. “We’re launching the Great American Health Challenge to provide tools and support to make it easier for people to take steps that could reduce their cancer risk.”

Scientists have found that consumption of spicy food daily can effectively help us fight cancer. Tumors can be killed by Capsaicin, the chemical that is responsible for the spicy and hot sensation.

They also feel that Capsaicin may provide the answer to future cancer drugs. The University of Nottingham scientists claim that this chemical targets the cancer cells directly. They also say that the medicines that are used in the treatment of psoriasis and muscle strains can be effectively used in the treatment of serious ailments.

Dr Timothy Bates who led this study attributes the spicy food eating habits of Mexicans and Indians to the lower incidences of cancers in these countries on a comparative note with their western counterparts.

Vanilloids is the family of compounds that Capsaicin belongs to, has the power of attacking the mitochondria without causing any damage to the surrounding cells.

According to Bates, laboratory trials of capsaicin yielded a very promising result on human lung cancer cell and pancreatic cancer cells.