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Can Garlic Protect You From Cancer?
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Throughout history and all over the globe, garlic has been and remains one of the most popular foods in the world. But isn’t just the distinct taste of garlic that has led to its ubiquity. Garlic is one of those foods that can offer benefits for wide variety of health problems. New research shows it can even protect from serious forms of cancer, including those occurring in the lungs, bowels, and more. In this article, you’ll learn the science behind these claims and how you can put this amazing vegetable to work for you.
Garlic: A Quick Introduction
Garlic belongs to a family of plants know as “allium” vegetables. In addition to garlic, these include onions, shallots, and leeks.
Garlic is known for having many health benefits. It has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering high blood pressure — studies showed it was even more effective than conventional blood pressure medications like atenolol! Garlic also helps boost the immune system, detoxify the body of heavy metal compounds like mercury, and its antioxidant properties help protect the brain against the onset of dementia.
It seems the magic ingredient in garlic is a chemical called allicin. This sulfurous compound is the source of most of the health benefits attributed to garlic, and it is also the cause of garlic’s district and powerful odor. Allicin also may be the key ingredient that contributes to garlic’s cancer-fighting properties.
How does garlic defend against cancer?
There are a multitude of studies showing that garlic protects against many different forms of cancer. The National Cancer Institute claims that seven different studies show a significantly lowered risk of cancer among populations that consume garlic regularly. These particular population studies focused on colorectal and stomach cancer.
Studies in the United States and France showed similar results. In a study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, French researchers found that participants who ate garlic had a reduced risk of breast cancer that was deemed “statistically significant.” The study in the United States found a 54 percent lower level of pancreatic cancer among populations that consumed garlic regularly.
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