Antidote against the Dragon breath
The major disadvantage of garlic is the repulsive breath you get. Unless everybody you encounter has already eaten some, it’s a big downer for your first date. Mouth wash, tooth paste and gum hardly get rid of it. Lucky for us, there is a solution in another functional food, parsley. A real life saver, if you get stuck in a meeting or very close to others in an elevator.
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a vegetable known to have anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardio-protective effects. Garlic is a species in the onion family Alliaceae which includes the onion, shallot, leek, and chive.
History
Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to Central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Archeologists have discovered clay sculptures of garlic bulbs and paintings of garlic dating about 3200 B.C. in Egyptian tombs. A papyrus dating from 1,500 B.C. recommends garlic as a cure all for over 22 common ailments, including lack of stamina, heart disease and tumors, and it’s been said the Egyptians fed garlic to the slaves building the pyramids to increase their strength.
Latest cancer research
There are presently over 500 cancer research articles on garlic. Epidemiologic data suggest that high intake of garlic is associated with a protective effect against stomach and colorectal cancers. This is supported by two studies suggesting both preventative and therapeutic effects for colorectal adenoma formation and an increased number and activity of natural killer cells. A recent study published in Cancinogenesis have revealed that this functional food can halt cell cycle progression in neoplastic cells. At the Brigham Young University in Utah, a team of researchers reported G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in human colon cancer cells.
Types of cancers affected
1. Breast cancer
2. Prostate cancer
3. Lung cancer
4. Myeloma cancer
5. Stomach cancer
6. Colon cancer
Posology
10 g / day (2 cloves)
Cancer protection level
| Apoptosis |  |
| Angiogenesis |  |
| Inflammation | |
| Proliferation | |
References
1. Fleischauer, A. T., Poole, C., Arab, L., Garlic consumption and cancer prevention: meta-analyses of colorectal and stomach cancers, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2000, 72, 1047–1052.
2. Tanaka, S., Haruma, K., Yoshihara, M., Kajiyama, G. et al., Aged garlic extract has potential suppressive effect on colorectal adenomas in humans, J. Nutr. 2006, 136, 821S–826S.
3. Ishikawa, H., Saeki, T., Otani, T., Suzuki, T. et al., Aged garlic extract prevents a decline of NK cell number and activity in patients with advanced cancer, J. Nutr. 2006, 136, 816S– 820S.
4. L.M. Knowles, J.A. Milner, Diallyl disulfide inhibits p34(cdc2) kinase activity through changes in complex formation and phosphorylation, Carcinogenesis 21 (2000) 1129–1134.
5. Frantz DJ, Hughes BG, Nelson DR, Murray BK, Christensen MJ.Nutr Cancer. 2000;38(2):255-64. Cell cycle arrest and differential gene expression in HT-29 cells exposed to an aqueous garlic extract. Nutr Cancer. 2000;38(2):255-64.