Re: [CH] Spicy Foods for Babies

Mike Nestrud (pink@gehennom.net)
Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:23:18 -0400 

On Monday, October 10, 2005, at 17:27:26, you wrote:
> I'll never forget my doctor (about 12 years ago) telling me that 
> people with my condition (Crohn's Disease) should never eat hot 
> stuff.  He is now a convert.

I also have Crohn's, and have been through the wringer since I was
diagnosed 13 years ago... been healthy for the past 3 at least (with
Remicaid every 2 months).  

I've done a bit of research with Crohn's and capsaicin.  The TRPV1
receptor expresses itself all over the human body. What I've come
up with is that people with Crohn's have a greater expression of the
TRPV1 (aka Vanillin Receptor 1, the Capsaicin Receptor) in their
intestines than "normal" people.  There is a (untested in humans)
hypothesis that by supressing the response of these intestinal TRPV1
receptors, you may be able to reduce disease activity.  The only known
antagonist afaik is the non-heat variety of capsacin (the kind found in
your bell peppers).  Triggering of TRPV1, at least in in a lab setting,
can create the conditions necessary for disease to express itself. 

As I'm sure you're well aware, nobody really knows a damn thing about
the mechanism behind Crohn's disease and how to interrupt it.  I asked
my gastro doc about the capsaicin-Crohn's connection, and he got a big
smile on his face and said that some people he studied with in med
school insisted that there was something there, but everyone else
thought they were crazy, and the current research hasn't convinced him
otherwise.

See this article.

Vanilloid receptor 1 antagonists attenuate disease severity in dextran
sulphate sodium-induced colitis in mice
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2982.2004.00549.x?cookieSet=1

I've been eating a good amount of spicy food almost daily for the past
year and am the healthiest I've been in my life.  I'm just keeping an
eye (and a google search) on the research to see if/when any human
trials may start.  I'm not convinced this is related to any "cure" for
Crohn's, but just another really confusing piece to the puzzle.  TRPV1,
imo, is obscured somewhere in the middle of the disease pathway, and
that there are many other factors that must be in place for it to
trigger, or provide a cure for, Crohn's.

-Mike

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