Garlic Can Help Prevent Breast Cancer, Scientist Says

Eating regular doses of garlic can help prevent and treat breast cancer, an Irvine scientist says.

Dr. Robert I. Lin said his findings were consistent with earlier studies which discovered that high garlic-consuming populations have drastically lower cancer rates than populations that consume small amounts of garlic. Animal studies with garlic and garlic compounds have also demonstrated cancer prevention effects.

Lin’s study, however, marked the first time the odoriferous herb has been beneficially linked to breast cancer, one of the most deadly forms of cancers with increasing incidence worldwide.

“Combining all the evidence, it is beyond any doubt that adequate garlic consumption can help fight against cancers, including breast cancer,” said Lin, who works for Irvine-based Nutrition International.

Lin presented the results of his study last week at the fourth International Conference on the Prevention of Human Cancer at the University of Arizona.

According to Lin, who worked with two other scientists, garlic, especially an aged garlic extract, inhibited the growth of human breast cancer cells cultured in test tubes.

The other two members of Lin’s research team were Dr. John Pinto of the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and UC Irvine professor Dr. Fillmore Freeman.

Freeman said that all forms of garlic seemed to have beneficial health effects, but certain forms worked better than others.

In the study, the researchers used an aged garlic extract, known under brands SGP or Kyolic, because raw garlic and most other forms of garlic preparations damaged cultured cells in the test tubes, Lin said. Aged garlic was also more stable for the tests, he noted.

In a telephone interview from Arizona, Lin suggested that the best way to reap the cancer inhibiting rewards of garlic is to incorporate about two to three medium-size cloves into a daily diet, equivalent to seven to 10 grams a day.

“Garlic is something that we need to have in the right doses,” Lin said. He noted that too much garlic did not increase its beneficial effects.

For those who do not like the taste of garlic, odorless garlic capsules and tablets of aged garlic may be taken as a replacement, Lin said. He added that the Chinese traditionally aged garlic by soaking it in vinegar for up to a few years as a way to reduce its pungency and odor.

Lin said that garlic’s health benefits are not just limited to cancer.

“Garlic has been shown to have a benefit in reducing the risk of heart attacks,” he said. “Furthermore, it can be used to prevent or reduce lead poisoning, which is a major problem for inner-city children” who live in old houses covered with lead paint and breathe lead-laden exhaust fumes from the heavy metropolitan traffic.