Marc Joseph Nutrition - Blog

In a recent study, Italian researchers found that southern Europeans consuming the highest amounts of onions and garlic had a significant reduction in risk for many cancers.

Listed below in parentheses are the percent declines in cancer risk that researchers found for high onion and garlic consumption, respectively:

• Oral cavity & pharynx (84%, 39%)
• Esophageal (88%, 57%)
• Colorectal (56%, 26%)
• Laryngeal (83%, 44%)
• Breast (25%, 10%)
• Ovarian (73%, 22%)
• Prostate (71%, 19%)
• Kidney (38%, 31%)

The results are consistent with other studies that have found beneficial effects for these vegetables in helping to prevent cancers of the digestive tract, prostate, and breast.

Garlic and onions are both members of the allium vegetable family. Organosulfur compounds found in these vegetables are believed to help prevent cancer development by:

• Promoting metabolism of carcinogens by promoting Phase II and slowing Phase I detoxification pathways in the liver.
• Enhancing cellular production of glutathione, the body’s primary and most important antioxidant.
• Arresting unregulated cell growth, which is seen with cancer, and promoting apoptosis (normal programmed cell death).
• Inhibiting microbial growth (yeast, bacteria, viruses), which may be involved in cancer development.

So, mangia! Grab the (xylitol-sweetened) breath mints and get going…

This entry was posted on Monday, December 4th, 2006 at 9:37 pm and is filed under Herbs & Botanicals, Cancer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.