Seoul, Korea, January 10: A new study suggests that garlic intake is
not creditable for a reduced risk of many cancers and for other cancers as
well the effect is very limited.
Earlier, several studies provided evidence for a relation between garlic
intake and cancerdefine risk reduction. Dr. Oran Kwon, a researcher
at Ewha Women's University in Seoul, South Korea, and lead author of the
study, said, "The public wants to believe that garlic may be effective in
reducing the risk of cancer, but so far scientific evidence is limited to
conclude [it works] for all types of cancers."
Dr. Oran Kwon with her team analyzed 19 published and scientifically sound
human studies about garlic intake and cancer risk reduction. With the use of
the United States Food and Drug Administration's review system for the
scientific evaluation of a health claim, the researchers concluded that no
creditable evidence to support the claim about garlic intake and a reduced
risk of gastricdefine, breast, lung, or endometrial cancer was found and
only a limited evidence supported the claim in case of colondefine,
prostate, esophageal, larynxdefine, oral, ovary, or renal cell cancers.
Scientists said that garlic can reduce the cancer in one way as it reverses
the oxidative stress (caused by "free radical" molecules) that increases the
cancer risks and gives birth to other health problems.
"The bottom line is, there is certainly not enough evidence for garlic for a
health claim for any cancer prevention," said Colleen Doyle, director of
nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society in Atlanta.
"There is weak evidence it may have an impact on some cancer sites."
Kwon suggested that some additional studies are needed on this subject
because garlic has been used throughout recorded history for many medicinal
purposes including prevention of heart disease (including atherosclerosis,
high cholesterol, and high blood pressure) and cancer.
Source : The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
