Consumption of garlic, leeks, onions and spring onions linked with reduced risk of colorectal cancers
Consumption of allium vegetables which include garlic, leeks, onions and spring onions is linked to reduced risk of colorectal cancer. A study of men and women in China came to this conclusion.
The results of the study were published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Allium is a latin word for garlic and along with onions, they also include shallots, scallions and chives. These vegetables contain a wide array of sulfur compounds that give onions, garlic, and other alliums their characteristic taste, smell, and tear-inducing pungency. They also bestow on these vegetables their many health benefits. They also contain polyphenols, including the flavonoid quercetin, which along with many of the sulfur compounds have important anti-inflammatory effects.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF ALLIUM VEGETABLES INCLUDE CARDIOVASCULAR PROTECTION BY LOWERING OF BLOOD PRESSURE, LOWERING OF CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDES AND ANTI-CANCER PROPERTIES
Health benefits of allium vegetables include cardiovascular protection by lowering of blood pressure, lowering of cholesterol and triglycerides and anti-cancer properties. The study aimed to investigate the association between the intake of allium vegetables and colorectal cancer.
In this hospital based study conducted between June 2009 and November 2011 in a Northeast Chinese population, 833 patients of colorectal cancer were matched to 833 healthy controls by age, sex and residence area. Demographic and dietary information were collected via face-to-face interviews using a validated food frequency questionnaire.
The odds of having colorectal cancer were 79 percent lower in adults who consumed high amounts of allium vegetables compared with those who consumed low amounts. The reduction in risk of colorectal cancer was regardless of the site of colonic tumour, with the exception of garlic intake in distal colon cancer.
“It is worth noting that in our research, there seems to be a trend: the greater the amount of allium vegetables, the better the protection,” said senior author Dr. Zhi Li, of the First Hospital of China Medical University. “In general, the present findings shed light on the primary prevention of colorectal cancer through lifestyle intervention, which deserves further in-depth explorations.”
