Onion and Garlic May Lower Cancer Risk

Those who know Puerto Rican cuisine know that onions and garlic are guaranteed to be present in many dishes and, moreover, they are the basis for some of the most famous, such as the soffit - a mixture of spices that can be used in turn. in several other recipes. Now, a new study headed by doctoral student in epidemiology Gauri Desai of the Buffalo University School of Public Health and Health Professions suggests that in addition to being tasty, the two ingredients can lower the risk of cancer. among Puerto Rican women.

“We found that combined garlic and onion intake, which is very common among Puerto Rican women, is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, ” said Desai.

And the numbers corroborate the researcher's speech. Women who consumed the sufferer more than once a day had a 67% reduction in risk compared to those who never ate the delicacy. The study was motivated by previous scientific evidence that already showed the benefits of onion and garlic in cancer protection.

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The researcher explains that Puerto Rico was the perfect place for the study because women consume larger amounts of onions and garlic than in regions of Europe and the United States. "Studying Puerto Rican women who consume a lot of onions and garlic as the sufferer was unique, " he said.

Desai further explained that the choice for Puerto Rico was also due to lower rates of breast cancer in the population compared to rates on the North American continent. "This makes it an important population to study, " he added.

Why are onion and garlic “weapons” against cancer?

Senior researcher and author Lina Mu explained that the two ingredients are rich in flavonols and organosulfonic compounds, which point to anticarcinogenic properties in humans as well as animals, according to experiments.

The study was conducted between 2008 and 2014 with 314 women with breast cancer and 346 for control. They were included in the case control study that bears the name of the Puerto Rican fertility goddess Atabey.

The results obtained were published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer .