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Studies Suggest Eating Garlic Does Protect Against Cancers
Oct. 4, 2000 -- The ancient Egyptians revered it, Greek Olympians chewed it before competing, and, of course, it is one of the best ways to keep vampires away. Love it or hate it, garlic has been considered something of a wonder drug for centuries, and so it remains today.
A newly published analysis of studies suggests that the odoriferous herb not only protects against creatures of the night and a date's unwanted advances, but colorectal and stomach cancers as well. But the researchers who examined the studies say the findings aren't conclusive, and more study is needed. Their analysis also showed that garlic supplements, which are often lacking an essential ingredient, have no measurable protective benefit against these cancers.
"These studies suggest that there may be a 30 to 50% reduction in colorectal cancer in people who eat a lot of garlic," analysis author Charles Poole, DSc, tells WebMD. "The problem is that we only found six studies to look at. While the association between garlic consumption and cancer protection was reasonably strong, I don't think anyone familiar with the literature would suggest that this association has been proven."
Garlic, a member of the onion family, has been used medicinally throughout history. It was enlisted, with unknown success, during Europe's Black Plague in the 1300s and was used to treat typhus and dysentery during World War I.
"Its use goes back at least 7,000 years to Egyptian times, when the slaves who built the pyramids were given a daily ration of it, not only to spice their food, but to keep them healthy," says chemist and author Peter Josling, who wrote the book The Complete Garlic Handbook.
"Unfortunately, it was also the cause of the first recorded worker's dispute," he adds. "At the time, the Egyptians imported their garlic from Russia, and they decided it was too expensive, so they withdrew the ration of garlic to save money. The slaves then put down their tools and refused to work until the daily ration was restored."
In recent times, garlic has been shown to cause modest reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and has been suggested to have antibiotic properties as well. It contains vitamins A and C, potassium, phosphorus, some 75 different sulfur compounds, selenium, and a number of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The sulfur-containing compound allicin, found in fresh garlic but in only trace amounts in supplements, has been shown to protect against cancers in studies done on animals.
Josling, who has studied the properties of garlic for more than a decade, says he is not surprised that garlic supplements do not appear to protect against colorectal or stomach cancers. The supplements now available, whether they are garlic powders, garlic oils, or aged garlic extracts, have little to no allicin, he says.
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