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Garlic might not make breath smell like springtime in the Alps, but it can help
protect against stomach and colorectal cancer, according to a new study.
The University study shows that people who consume raw or cooked garlic
regularly face about half the risk of stomach cancer and two-thirds the risk of
colorectal cancer as people who eat little or none.
"There seems to be a strong, consistent protective effect for people who are
regular garlic consumers," said Lenore Arab, professor of epidemiology and
nutrition at the schools of public health and medicine. "It doesn't matter if
they're consuming garlic in China or in the United States, the effect is still
there."
University researchers could not show similar benefits from taking garlic
supplements, however, said Arab, a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive
Cancer Center. They do not know why.
A report on the findings appears in the October issue of the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, a professional journal. Besides Arab, authors are
graduate student Aaron T. Fleischauer and Charles Poole, associate professor of
epidemiology.
Their study was a meta-analysis, a mathematical combination of numerous other
studies to develop a clearer picture of such issues as cancer and heart
disease. They reviewed 300 scientific papers related to diet and cancer and
then combined and analyzed data from 22 describing the best, most relevant
human research related to garlic from around the world.
"We've looked at garlic in the past and thought the findings looked
overwhelmingly consistent," Arab said. "Here we took a formal approach to
pooling the data from various studies done in Argentina, China, Switzerland,
the Netherlands and other countries. We had a very good diversity of countries
represented."
Previous research has shown that a compound in garlic called allium partially
protects animals against cancer, and some scientists believe it has the same
effect in humans, she said.
"After controlling for various risk factors, we found that when we pooled the
results, this preventive effect was largely confirmed," Arab said. "We didn't
have enough information to be able to say the same about garlic's possible
effects on other forms of cancer."
Possible benefits of consuming garlic might be somewhat overestimated in the
study by what is called "publication bias," Poole said. That is the
well-documented tendency of scientists and scientific publications to publish
positive findings more often than results showing no effect.
"We also found the various studies were more inconsistent than we would have
expected," he said.
"This is speculation, but it might be that we saw no benefits from garlic
supplements because the active ingredients are being destroyed in processing or
by sitting on store shelves for a long time," Arab said. "Another possibility
is that some of the people who turn to garlic supplements are sick already.
That could skew the results."
The small number of studies that included garlic supplements also make
conclusions about their effects more difficult to draw, Fleischauer said.
"Many scientists believe garlic helps prevent stomach cancer because it has
anti-bacterial effects against a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, found in the
stomach and known to promote cancer there," he said.
Garlic indulgence
Here's a daring recipe for those who want to try garlic's medicinal
powers. It's especially appropriate as we near Halloween, too. Nary a vampire
will step into your path after you've tried a dose of this soup, which was
adapted from a recipe found in Bon Appetit.
Garlic Soup
3 T butter
3/4 c peeled garlic cloves (about 30)
2 c chopped onions
3 T flour
3 14 1/2 oz. cans low-salt chicken or vegetable broth
1 c whole milk
1/2 c dry sherry
1/2 t dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cover; cook
until onions are tender, but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 10
minutes. Add flour; stir two minutes. Add broth, half and half, sherry, thyme
and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered
until garlic is very tender, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Working in
batches, puree soup with bread in blender until smooth. Return to pot. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Rewarm soup over medium heat; serve. Garnish
with grated cheese and croutons, if desired.
Sarah Nagae, nutritionist at H.E.E.L.S. for Health, submits these low-fat, heart-friendly modifications for this recipe.
* Substitute 3T canola oil for the butter.
* Substitute the whole milk with 1 cup peeled and finely diced Russet potato. The potato will serve as a thickening agent.
* Eliminate the white bread.
* Cut the 1/2 cup sherry to 1/4 cup and add 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar.
The H.E.E.L.S. for Health nutritionists help University employees cut the excess fat in their recipes and diets -- call 2-2348 for more information.
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