Peppers Seem To Protect Against Parkinson's 161
DavidHumus writes "A recent study indicates that consuming vegetables from the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes and peppers (as well as tobacco), decreases the risk of contracting Parkinson's disease. Earlier studies had shown that smoking tobacco seems to provide protection against the disease and the newer one seems to confirm that the key ingredient is nicotine, which is present in some vegetables like peppers."
Re:nightshade family (Score:5, Interesting)
Insects are anything but addicted to it. It' kills 'em dead. That's the entire reason the nicotine is flowing through plants' veins in the first place: it's their natural insecticide.
Now why anybody would wanna smoke insecticide.... ;-)
Re:nightshade family (Score:2, Interesting)
Some countries call them "capsicums", even when speaking English.
Like most misnamed items from the New World, this was apparently Columbus' fault. He tasted a chili pepper, his crazy genocidal brain decided it tasted like peppercorn, and the rest is history.
Aha! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Tobacco...right (Score:4, Interesting)
Maybe his predisposition to get Parkinson's caused the desire to smoke..
Nicotine ameliorates some of the symptoms of schizophrenia, and nearly everyone with schizophrenia smokes [wikipedia.org]. So it is possible that a similar phenomenon may occur with parkinson's
Re:Tobacco...right (Score:2, Interesting)
Actually AFAIK it's not the nicotine in the cigarettes which kills you. It's all of the burning byproducts. Nicotine is responsible for making you addict, though.