Red chili peppers cause gallbladder cancer?

[Guest guest]

Hi All, The attached/below PDF-available paper seems to say that red chili

peppers cause gallbladder cancer.

Cheers, Al.

Int J Cancer 2002 Dec 1;102(4):407-11

Association of chili pepper consumption, low socioeconomic status and

longstanding gallstones with gallbladder cancer in a Chilean population.

Serra I, Yamamoto M, Calvo A, Cavada G, Baez S, Endoh K, Watanabe H, Tajima K.

We explored the risk factors for gallbladder cancer and explanations for its

sharp and constant incidence increase in Chile since the 1970s. We compared 114

consecutive patients with verified gallbladder cancer, diagnosed 1992-1995, to

114 matched hospital patients with gallstones, using conditional logistic

regression analysis. Low education showed a nonsignificant positive relationship

with gallbladder cancer [odds ratio (OR) = 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI)

0.8-6.2], and low socioeconomic level showed a significant relationship (OR =

5.0, 95% CI 1.5-17.3). A very long history of gallstone disease was

significantly more prevalent among cases (OR = 11.0, 95% CI 1.4-85.2).

Significant red chili pepper consumption was observed in gallbladder cancer

patients (OR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.6-5.2). Low intake of both fresh fruit and sugar as

soft drinks was associated with gallbladder cancer, with ORs of 6.4 (95% CI

1.4-30.3) and 3.6 (95% CI 1.3-10.1), respectively. Multivariate analysis kept

only a very low socioeconomic status and red chili pepper consumption as

significant independent risk factors for gallbladder cancer, ORs of 6.3 (95% CI

1.7-23.0) and 3.2 (95% CI 1.7-5.9). Longstanding gallstone cases were removed

from the multivariate model because all were in the low and very low

socioeconomic groups, reinforcing the association. Patients with gallbladder

cancer differed from matched controls by exhibiting lower socioeconomic levels,

having a much longer history of gallstone disease and presenting a dietary

pattern characterized by high red chili pepper consumption and low fresh fruit

intake.

PMID: 12402311 [PubMed - in process]

Table III. Adjusted ORs in a Conditional Logistic Regression Multivariate

Analysis (114 Cases and 114 Controls)1

Risk factor

OR

95% CI

p

Low

socioeconomic

status

5.6

1.4-20.5

0.014

Red chili pepper

consumption

2.5

1.2-5.2

0.016

Green chili pepper

consumption

1.4

0.6-3.5

0.792

Fried foods (once

or more/day)

1.4

0.7-2.8

0.921

Schooling (6 years

or less)

1.0

0.9-1.1

0.994

1 Based on the variables that demonstrated

significance in univariate analysis.