Capsaicin, the substance that gives chilies their fire, is being studied as an effective treatment for sensory nerve fiber disorders, including pain associated with arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy. A recent study at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas indicated that the capsaicin in Chile peppers, and a related compound called resiniferatoxin, appeared to kill skin cancer cells by damaging the cell membranes and limiting the amount of oxygen that reached the cancer cells. In another study at the Research Institute for Production Development in Kyoto, Japan, researchers found that capsanthin and related carotenoids isolated from red paprika showed potent anti-tumor-promoting activity. According to the Department of Food Science in Nonoichi, Japan, hot peppers show antihyperlipidemic and hypocholesterolaemic activity (which may lower heart disease risk), as well as antibacterial activities.