研究顯示 辣椒和生薑可以降低患癌風險

Many of us love the hot kick of a curry searing with chili peppers and ginger. Some can't stand the burn.

許多人都喜歡咖喱熱辣的口感，因爲辣椒和生薑會燒灼人的口腔。不過有些人卻不能忍受這種火燒般的感覺。

But spice-phobes should consider a change of heart - since new research shows these two ingredients combine to create a compound that fights cancer.

但是香料恐懼症患者們應該考慮改變一下看法了--因爲最新研究發現，辣椒和生薑結合在一起會產生一種可以治療癌症的化合物。

The finding, from the American Chemical Society, builds on previous studies that suggested a property in chili peppers (capsaicin) fuels tumor growth.

美國化學協會的這一發現建立在之前的研究的基礎上。該研究指出，辣椒中的一種成分（辣椒素）會促進腫瘤的生長。

However, according to the new research, capsaicin can be turned into a cancer-fighting property when combined with ginger's pungent compound 6-gingergol.

不過，最新研究指出，當辣椒素和生薑成分薑辣素合成在一起的時候，可以形成一種治療癌症的物質。

Ginger has long been touted as a health food, recommended to patients for everything from a cold to a severe disease as it stimulates anti-inflammatory cells.

長久以來人們一直盛讚生薑是一種健康食品。小到感冒，大到嚴重疾病的病人都會被推薦食用生薑，因爲生薑可以刺激抗炎症細胞。

Over several weeks, the ACS researchers fed mice prone to lung cancer either capsaicin or 6-gingerol alone, or a combination of both.

在過去的幾個星期裏，美國化學協會的研究員們給一羣易患肺癌的小白鼠餵食了辣椒素、薑辣素以及兩者的混合物。

During the study period, all of the mice that received only capsaicin developed lung carcinomas while only half of the mice fed 6-gingerol did.

在研究期間，所有餵食辣椒素的小白鼠都患上了肺癌，而只餵食薑辣素的小白鼠中只有一半患上了肺癌。

Surprisingly, an even lower percentage - only 20 per cent - of the mice given both compounds developed cancer.

令人吃驚的是，在餵食辣椒素和薑辣素混合物的小白鼠中，只有20%患上了肺癌。

The researchers also dug into the potential molecular underpinnings of how the compounds interact to lead to this effect.

研究員們還對這種化合物到底是如何導致這種結果的分子基礎進行了研究。