Garlic may reduce lung-cancer risk
One clove a day suggested, WHO says
Consuming raw garlic twice a week can cut the chances of lung cancer almost in half, according to a study published online in Cancer Prevention Research that links the consumption of raw garlic to a lowered risk of disease — even for smokers.
Whether cooked garlic has the same benefits has not been investigated yet.
When scientists at the Jiangsu Provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China looked at 4,500 adults in perfect health and 1,424 adults with lung cancer, they discovered that those who ate raw garlic at least twice weekly had a significantly lower chance of developing lung cancer. Scientists worked it out to be a 44-per-cent-less-likely chance.
Findings were similar even if the adults smoked or were near cooking fumes, with a 30-per-cent-lesslikely chance.
Garlic has long been considered a wonder herb, said to help with stomach troubles and even having a positive effect on stomach and colon cancers — all due to the chemical alliin, which converts in the body into the medically active compound allicin.
This research — especially the fact that raw garlic can stave off lung cancer even for smokers — is important because lung cancer is the leading cause of cancerrelated death, according to Lung Cancer Canada.
In 2013, 25,500 Canadians will be diagnosed with the disease, and about one in 12 is diagnosed every year. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer.
The Canadian Cancer Society considers smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke to be triggers for lung cancer, and possibly cooking food at a high temperature. It also recommends a diet rich in fruits and vegetables — particularly broccoli, cabbage and the like — which are thought to help prevent cancer.
But don’t go crazy with the raw garlic. For general health, the World Health Organization recommends an adult daily dose of two to five grams fresh garlic, about one clove.