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Many of us love the hot kick of a curry searing with chili peppers and ginger. Some can't stand the burn.
许多人都喜欢咖喱热辣的口感，因为辣椒和生姜会烧灼人的口腔。不过有些人却不能忍受这种火烧般的感觉。
But spice-phobes should consider a change of heart - since new research shows these two ingredients combine to create a compound that fights cancer.
但是香料恐惧症患者们应该考虑改变一下看法了--因为最新研究发现，辣椒和生姜结合在一起会产生一种可以治疗癌症的化合物。
The finding, from the American Chemical Society, builds on previous studies that suggested a property in chili peppers (capsaicin) fuels tumor growth.
美国化学协会的这一发现建立在之前的研究的基础上。该研究指出，辣椒中的一种成分（辣椒素）会促进肿瘤的生长。
However, according to the new research, capsaicin can be turned into a cancer-fighting property when combined with ginger's pungent compound 6-gingergol.
不过，最新研究指出，当辣椒素和生姜成分姜辣素合成在一起的时候，可以形成一种治疗癌症的物质。
Ginger has long been touted as a health food, recommended to patients for everything from a cold to a severe disease as it stimulates anti-inflammatory cells.
长久以来人们一直盛赞生姜是一种健康食品。小到感冒，大到严重疾病的病人都会被推荐食用生姜，因为生姜可以刺激抗炎症细胞。
Over several weeks, the ACS researchers fed mice prone to lung cancer either capsaicin or 6-gingerol alone, or a combination of both.
在过去的几个星期里，美国化学协会的研究员们给一群易患肺癌的小白鼠喂食了辣椒素、姜辣素以及两者的混合物。
During the study period, all of the mice that received only capsaicin developed lung carcinomas while only half of the mice fed 6-gingerol did.
在研究期间，所有喂食辣椒素的小白鼠都患上了肺癌，而只喂食姜辣素的小白鼠中只有一半患上了肺癌。
Surprisingly, an even lower percentage - only 20 per cent - of the mice given both compounds developed cancer.
令人吃惊的是，在喂食辣椒素和姜辣素混合物的小白鼠中，只有20%患上了肺癌。
The researchers also dug into the potential molecular underpinnings of how the compounds interact to lead to this effect.
研究员们还对这种化合物到底是如何导致这种结果的分子基础进行了研究。
