hot and spicy foods are great for you! it's just like anything, u build up a tolerance level to it, and whereas a korma is too hot for someone who's never eaten spicy food before, a phal is just right for me!

anyway there was an interesting statistic regarding hot and spicy foods - in leicester, where 20% of the population is asian and from the indian subcontinent, only 5% of people in hospital suffering from colonic cancers etc were of asian origin.

also the incidence of stomach / bowel cancers and diseases in asia (especially countries associated with hot foods, e.g. thailand, bangladesh, india etc.) are much lower than the world average.

there's been some scientific research to suggest that consuming capiscum (the stuff that makes chillies hot) has certain anti-carcinogenic properties!

i'm gonna carry on eating my vindaloos phals and tindaloos!

but only once a week as so not to risk getting a stomach ulcer! ;-)