Garlic each day may keep cancer away
By Sari Huhtala
Eating one single meal made with two teaspoons of raw crushed garlic activates the expression of seven human genes, which turn on proteins and natural killer cells that prevent cancerous tumours, and help destroy bacteria and viruses.
No wonder 4000 years ago, in the absence of a pharmaceutical industry, garlic was used as medicine for typhus, dysentery, cholera and influenza.
A 2020 review of 145 scientific studies in the journal Antioxidants shows garlic is one of the most functional medicinal foods on the planet, yet conventional medicine has yet to catch on. Scientific studies show garlic has therapeutic effects on cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, skin diseases, metabolic disorders, as well as bacterial and viral conditions.
“Credible evidence for an association between garlic intake and colon, prostate, esophageal, larynx, oral, ovary, and renal cell cancers has been reported,” according to the review.
“Interestingly, garlic can provide symptomatic relief of various cancer conditions, including breast, colorectal, colon, gastric, lung, and pancreatic cancers. It may be a therapeutic potential for specific cancer treatment that has been reported in human-based clinical studies.”
In this context, personalized diets with supplemented functional elements, including functional phytochemicals, such as allyl sulfur compounds or allicin, have provided high amounts of antioxidants to patients in chemotherapy and in remission.”
Consuming raw crushed garlic floods the body with over 20 polyphenolic anti-inflammatory compounds, along with fiber, and substantial amounts of potassium, zinc, sulfur, and moderate amounts of selenium, calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese.
Many of the benefits of garlic come from the bioavailability of its sulfur-containing compound allicin. Breath allyl methyl sulfide is the most important garlic metabolite. One study showed quality garlic supplements had a greater bioavailability of allicin than that of crushed raw garlic.
A daily dose of 2.56 grams of aged garlic supplementation for 90 days was found to increase natural kill (NK) cells and reduce inflammation, and boost immune cell function, decreasing severity of coughs and flu symptoms.
Other studies on garlic consumption found it was effective in decreasing the “appearance of precancerous gastric lesions or gastric cancer.”
“Long-term consumption of garlic, garlic supplements or garlic with vitamins reduced gastric cancer, precancerous gastric lesions, and mortality rate.”
(This information is not intended to replace medical advice and treatment from a health care practitioner).
Photo credit: ©Congerdesign via Canva.com
Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine. She has over 25 years experience in journalism and over 15 years experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 years of navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family.
