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| A
study found that men who ate about a tenth of an ounce
or more a day of garlic were about 50 percent less
likely to have prostate cancer. |
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| Garlic,
onions may help fight prostate cancer |
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| Study
finds vegetables in allium family beneficial |
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ASSOCIATED
PRESS ‘We
checked on many food items and the allium food group stood out
(as
protective against prostate cancer).’
— ANN HSING
Epidemiologist,
National Cancer Institute |
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THE STUDY, appearing this week in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, is based on interviews with 238 men with prostate
cancer and 471 men who were free of the disease.
Men in the study, all residents of
Shanghai, China, were asked how frequently they ate 122 food items.
The results showed that those who
ate more than a third of an ounce a day from the allium food group —
which consists of onions, garlic and shallots — were about 50 percent
less likely to have prostate cancer than those who ate less of the
foods.
“We checked on many food items
and the allium food group stood out (as protective against prostate
cancer),” said Ann Hsing, an NCI epidemiologist and the first author
of the study. “But the conclusions need to be replicated in another
study.” She said the study was conducted in Shanghai because China has
the lowest rate of prostate cancer in the world.
Scallions seemed to be the most
protective food in the group. According to the study, men who ate about
a tenth of an ounce or more a day of scallions reduced their prostate
cancer risk by about 70 percent. For garlic consumption of the same
amount, the prostate cancer risk was reduced by about 53 percent.
Nearly 190,000 U.S. men each
year are diagnosed with cancer of the prostate, a walnut-sized
gland at the base of the penis that is involved in semen
production. After skin malignancies, prostate cancer is the
second most common cancer in males.
Each year, an estimated 30,200
American men die from prostate cancer. After lung cancer, it
is the second most common cause of cancer mortality in U.S.
men, accounting for 11 percent of cancer deaths. About 90
percent of men with prostate cancer survive at least five
years after diagnosis, and two-thirds live 10 years or more.
Early detection and treatment boost survival.
Prostate cancer occurs when
malignant cells form and spread through the prostate gland.
The malignant cells develop when changes occur in DNA, the
genetic material containing the "instructions" for
all types of cells. When DNA is altered, normal cells can grow
abnormally and form cancer. Exactly how DNA is altered in
prostate cancer remains unclear.
However, a number of factors
have been implicated in prostate cancer development, including
advancing age, African-American race, a family history of the
disease and a high-fat diet.
Most cases of early prostate
cancer cause no symptoms and are identified only by routine
screening tests. However, some patients may experience a
slowing or weakening of the urinary stream or the need to
urinate more often. Symptoms of advanced prostate cancer
include blood in the urine, impotence, and pain in the pelvis,
spine, hips or ribs.
The uncertainty about the
causes and controllable risk factors for prostate cancer
complicates prevention. The best evidence available relates to
dietary habits. Following a balanced diet that is low in fat
and emphasizes fruits, vegetables and grain products may help
reduce cancer risk.
The American Cancer Society
and other groups recommend annual prostate cancer screening
for all men beginning at age 50. Such screening involves a
blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein
produced by the prostate, as well as a digital rectal exam, in
which a physician palpates the gland.
Men who have an
increased risk for prostate cancer (such as African-Americans
and men with a family history of the disease) are advised to
get tested earlier, usually at age 45. However, due to some
conflicting evidence on the benefits of these tests for all
men, not all doctors recommend widespread screening. If
certain symptoms or the results of early detection tests have
raised the possibility of prostate cancer, biopsies and
possibly other tests will be performed to confirm a diagnosis.
Prostate cancer may be treated
with prostatectomy (surgery to remove the prostate),
radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or a combination of
treatments. Depending on a man’s age and the stage of the
cancer, doctors also may recommend "watchful
waiting" - leaving the cancer untreated until it shows
signs of becoming more aggressive or spreading. This latter
approach is most commonly recommended for elderly men who have
slow-growing tumors. Treatment side effects can include
impotence and urinary incontinence.
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Hsing said that the typical Chinese diet is much more heavily
seasoned with garlic, scallions and onions than is the traditional
American diet. But even so, the amount of allium vegetables consumed is
measured only in fractional ounces. For instance, the study suggests
that an effective level of prostate cancer protection can be achieved
with about one clove of garlic a day.
“The reduced risk of prostate
cancer associated with allium vegetables was independent of body size,
intake of other foods and total calorie intake,” the study authors
reported.
Hsing said the study reinforces
earlier studies that have linked high vegetable consumption to a reduced
risk of prostate cancer. |
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For instance, earlier studies have found that that eating tomatoes
and tomato products can lower the risk of prostate cancer. Italy, where
tomato sauce and garlic are favorites, has one of the lowest rates of
prostate cancer in Europe, said Hsing.
Janet Stanford, a cancer
epidemiologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle,
said the study by Hsing and her co-authors continues to support the
general finding that “eating vegetables is a good thing.”
Stanford said her group, in an
earlier study, linked broccoli, cauliflower and related vegetables to a
reduced prostate cancer risk, while a high fat diet increased the risk. “This shows that your mother was
right,” said Stanford. “Eat more vegetables.”
The Shanghai study was conducted by
researchers at the National Cancer Institute, one of the National
Institutes of Health, and at the Shanghai Cancer Institute in China.
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Kyolic #104 Garlic & Lecithin
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