Garlic Boost Immune system and Cancer Prevention

Garlic is probably nature’s most potent food. It is one of the reasons people who eat the Mediterranean diet live such long healthy lives. Garlic is also a powerful performer in the research lab. Several new studies have documented its ability to promote heart and cardiovascular health, prevent and treat cancer, and create a healthy lipid profile. Others have shown garlic prevents platelet aggregation and reduces high blood pressure. Garlic has strong anti-inflammatory properties. One of the most interesting of the recent findings is that garlic increases the overall antioxidant levels of the body.

Many studies show the benefits you can get from garlic. In fact, garlic is the most researched and studied medicinal plant because of its great potential in the field of medicine. One of these is the ability to fight against certain types of cancer. So what is it in garlic that’s responsible for its healing properties? Well, it is the allium compounds.

The allium compounds actually come from Allium sativum, which is commonly known as garlic.  In the making of the allium compounds, the fresh garlic bulb is usually dehydrated, and crushed into a powder.  After that, it is then compacted to produce a tablet.   It is the tablet form that is most regularly applied as a commercial preparation of garlic.

A number of the new studies on garlic that have recently appeared deal with garlic and cancer. One from the Republic of Korea cites diallyl disulfide (DADS) as the most prevalent oil-soluble sulfur compound in garlic, inhibiting cell proliferation in many cell lines. Scientists there examined DADS ability to kill cells in a process involving free radical production. They found that the famous tumor suppressor gene, p53, arrested the cell cycle when DADS treatment was present. Cancer cells died following 24 hour DADS treatment that activated the p53 gene. They also found that DADS induced cell death was prevented by treatment with a compound known to prevent p53 dependent cell death by reducing free radical levels in the mitochrondria, the cellular furnaces. Their results showed that mitochrondrial free radicals may serve as second messengers in DADS-induced cell death, which requires activation of p53. This study can be found in the January Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology.

When buying garlic, make sure the bulbs are dry with plenty of papery covering. If any green shoots are present, the garlic is old and its valuable compounds have degraded. Garlic sold in traditional outlets has been chemically treated to keep it from sprouting, so technically it is no longer a live food. Always buy organic garlic when possible.

The stronger the taste of the garlic, the more sulfur content it has and therefore the greater are the medicinal benefits. Organic garlic tends to have a stronger but finer flavor than conventionally produced garlic, suggesting a higher sulfur content.

While studies have shown that eating garlic is linked to decreasing the risk of prostate, stomach, colon and possibly breast cancers, you’ll only reap the benefits if you prepare this culinary favorite just right.

To enhance garlic’s cancer-fighting properties you should chop or crush it and then let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. Preparing it this way allows garlic’s anticarcinogen agents-allyl sulfide compounds to form and makes them stable for heating.

If you heat garlic immediately after chopping or cook garlic whole, you’ll negate almost all of its health benefits.