If you're gearing up for a chili cook-off, here's some news you can use: Researchers at New Mexico State University recently announced their discovery of the world's hottest chili pepper.

Bhut Jolokia, a pepper native to Assam, India, claimed the Guinness World Records award after blazing by the previous chili pepper champion, Red Savina. Weighing in at one million Scoville heat units (SHU), Bhut Jolokia is almost twice as hot as Red Savina, which measures a mere 577,000 SHU.

Regardless of variety, the heat source in hot peppers is capsaicin, an extremely potent compound that can be detected in concentrations as low as one part per 11 million. Capsaicin does more than just add heat and flavor to food: It's the high-powered chemical in pepper spray that makes it such an effective weapon.

If torturing your tongue with nuclear-strength peppers doesn't sound all that appealing, you can always opt for lightweight peppers, like the habanero (250,000 SHU) or the jalapeno (5,500 SHU). Even if you don't enjoy eating peppers for the mouth-scalding thrill, it might be a good idea to eat them for their proven health benefits.

For centuries, people from dozens of countries around the world have relied on hot peppers as powerful medicinal agents. In ancient times, they were used to stimulate digestion, improve circulation, suppress the symptoms of the common cold and provide pain relief.

You probably know from experience that nothing can clear your sinuses like a mouthful of red-hot salsa or five-alarm chili. The capsaicin in these spicy dishes works like an expectorant, triggering the release of mucus to help open clogged breathing passages in the nose and lungs.

Diets rich in hot peppers may benefit heart health since capsaicin appears to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the clotting potential of the blood. Capsaicin has been used to improve athletic performance and to treat symptoms of chronic fatigue, asthma and infections.

Contrary to popular belief, hot peppers are actually beneficial to the gastrointestinal tract when eaten in moderation. Capsaicin increases blood flow to the stomach lining, keeping it healthy and speeding repairs. It also stimulates peristalsis, the muscular contractions of the gut that propel food toward its ultimate destination.

Recent research has uncovered a few more health-promoting properties attributable to the hot pepper and its active ingredient. Among the most promising is its potential to fight fat.

The results of a study published in the March 2007 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry offer strong evidence that capsaicin can reduce the growth of fat cells in the body. Scientists in Taiwan found that capsaicin kept immature fat cells from enlarging, thus preventing them from maturing into full-fledged fat cells.

Capsaicin is thought to provide a biochemical signal to fat cells that causes them to self-destruct. According to the researchers, these fat-fighting effects occurred at capsaicin levels that were only slightly greater than those found in individuals eating a typical Indian or Thai diet.

The active ingredient in hot peppers also appears to help fight fat by boosting the metabolic rate, suppressing appetite and reducing caloric consumption. When researchers at Laval University in Canada gave male study participants appetizers seasoned with capsaicin-containing hot sauce, the men ate significantly fewer calories at lunch and at a later snack than men who ate capsaicin-free appetizers.

One of capsaicin's most important medicinal properties may be its ability to alleviate pain associated with arthritis, diabetic nerve damage and shingles. When applied topically in the form of a cream or gel, capsaicin penetrates the skin to deplete nerve endings of substance P, a chemical messenger responsible for transmitting pain sensations to the brain.

Several studies have demonstrated that capsaicin is just as effective as some prescription medications in easing joint and nerve-related pain. Topical use of capsaicin-containing products is particularly beneficial because it reduces the risk of side effects and dangerous drug interactions associated with oral pain medications.

Capsaicin-containing nasal sprays can alleviate pain in individuals suffering from migraines and cluster headaches. When sprayed into the nostril on the same side as the headache, these products have been shown to provide satisfactory pain relief in roughly 75 percent of treated patients.

Adding a few extra hot peppers to your favorite chili recipe can go a long way toward improving your health. Even if you don't need the medicinal benefits of capsaicin, you can still enjoy the tongue-torching effects of consuming it.

Rallie McAllister is a board-certified family physician, speaker and the author of several books, including "Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim." Her website is www.rallieonhealth.com. To find out more about Rallie McAllister, M.D., and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

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