AJCN: Onion and garlic use and human cancer

[Guest guest]

Colleagues, the following is FYI and does not necessarily reflect my own

opinion. I have no further knowledge of the topic. If you do not wish to

receive these posts, set your email filter to filter out any messages

coming from @nutritionucanlivewith.com and the program will remove

anything coming from me.

---------------------------------------------------------

Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1027-32.

Onion and garlic use and human cancer.

Galeone C, Pelucchi C, Levi F, Negri E, Franceschi S, Talamini R,

Giacosa A, La Vecchia C.

Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche " Negri, " Milan, Italy, Italy.

BACKGROUND: Interest in the potential benefits of allium

vegetables, in particular, onion (Allium cepa) and garlic (Allium

sativum), has its origin in antiquity, but the details of these benefits

are still open to discussion.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the role of allium vegetables in the etiology

of various neoplasms. Previous data are scanty and are based mainly on

Chinese studies.

DESIGN: Using data from an integrated network of Italian and Swiss

case-control studies, we analyzed the relation between frequency of

onion and garlic use and cancer at several sites. We calculated odds

ratios (ORs) by using multivariate logistic regression models that were

adjusted for energy intake and other major covariates.

RESULTS: Consumption of onions varied between 0-14 and 0-22 portions/wk

among cases and controls, respectively. The multivariate ORs for the

highest category of onion and garlic intake were, respectively, 0.16 and

0.61 for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 0.12 and 0.43 for

esophageal cancer, 0.44 and 0.74 for colorectal cancer, 0.17 and 0.56

for laryngeal cancer, 0.75 and 0.90 for breast cancer, 0.27 and 0.78 for

ovarian cancer, 0.29 and 0.81 for prostate cancer, and 0.62 and 0.69 for

renal cell cancer.

CONCLUSIONS: This uniquely large data set from southern European

populations shows an inverse association between the frequency of use of

allium vegetables and the risk of several common cancers. Allium

vegetables are a favorable correlate of cancer risk in Europe.

PMID: 17093154 [PubMed - in process]

--

ne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar@... >

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/