4 Reasons Eating Garlic is Good for Cancer Prevention

If you love the pungent flavour and scent of garlic, you are on-trend. Cultures have long used garlic both for cooking and medicine. Here in India, garlic popularity has soared over the years. That???s potentially good news for health and lower cancer risk. Whether you already enjoy garlic or are wary of its intense scent, here are four reasons to regularly spice up your meals with this root veggie.

It’s certainly not possible to prevent all cancers, but population studies have found a reduced risk of the following cancers in people who consume more garlic:

• Stomach cancer
• Colon cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer

Anti-Cancer Compounds

Garlic has natural antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral. The knobs and cloves of garlic contain high levels of sulfur, flavonoids, and selenium. And, when it is crushed, chopped, or bruised, garlic produces the compound allicin.

It is garlic’s antibacterial properties that may help to prevent cancer as well as its ability to enhance genetic repair, slow down cell proliferation, and prevent the formation of carcinogenic substances in the body.

Three of the cancer-fighting compounds in garlic include:

• Allicin: A powerful plant compound that is antibiotic and anti-fungal. This substance is strong enough to cause blisters if you get too much on your skin, but allicin fades quickly after it is produced. Cooking speeds the breakdown of allicin, and microwave cooking appears to kill it and destroy the health benefits.
• Flavonoids: Aromatic plant compounds that are considered to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds fight cancer by preventing cell damage.
• Selenium and allyl sulfides: Both of these plant chemicals may be anti-mutagens or substances that prevent cancer by blocking damage to cells’ DNA or stimulating the body to repair damaged DNA.

How Garlic May Reduce the Development of Cancer

There are several mechanisms by which garlic may inhibit the development of cancer. There are additional mechanisms by which it may also slow the cell cycle in cancer cells already present or induce apoptosis (cell death).

Eat garlic regularly

As always, no one food reduces cancer risk. It’s your pattern of eating that counts ??? choosing mostly plant foods that fill up two-thirds or more of your plate, with smaller amounts of meat.