This recent study looked at both piperine and curcumin to examine their effects on breast cancer and both compounds were found to be potent inhibitors of breast cancer. Piperine is a compound found in black pepper and is responsible for the pungency, so if you are using black pepper for cancer prevention, freshly cracking it so you have the pungency is a good idea. It’s easy to add onto many foods. When you combine it with curcumin from tumeric for example, piperine can amplify curcumin’s effects by up to 2000%. They are very synergistic. However, keep in mind that piperine can affect drug metabolism, so if you are taking medications, use piperine very moderately.
 
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009 Nov 7. [Epub ahead of print]