Chili Pepper a Day Keeps Ulcer at Bay

A jalapeno a day, keeps the ulcer at bay?

Not exactly the stuff of medical folk wisdom. But if recent studies are right, doctors may one day prescribe chili peppers for patients with peptic ulcers, painful erosions in the lining of the gut.

Don’t bite into a red-hot pepper yet. Experts caution that even if the results are proved, ulcer sufferers who are susceptible to heartburn may find the unpleasant side effects outweigh the benefits.

“A lot of people feel that chili is bad for their ulcers and their stomach. We’ve shown that it does not harm the stomach and may even help,” said Dr. Jin Y. Kang, one of the investigators at National University Hospital in Singapore.

Kang’s team examined the inner lining of the gut with sophisticated technology to monitor what happens after ingesting capsaicin, the hot stuff within chili peppers.

They found that capsaicin somehow wards off damage.