Garlic may thwart prostate cancer - goodnews: essential natural health news - Brief Article

Better Nutrition, Jan, 2004

A daily serving from the allium group of vegetables--garlic, scallions, shallots, onions, leeks and chives--may help protect against the development of prostate cancer. Garlic and scallions appear to have the most protective effect.

Allium group foods are prime sources of flavonoids and sulfur-containing compounds. Both have been shown in laboratory studies to reduce tumor growth although scientists do not know why.

The preventive effect has been noted in those consuming about 10 grams of the allium group daily. How much is that? Well, in terms of garlic, 10 grams is equivalent to about three and a half cloves.

Aged garlic specifically offers a unique compound that seems to suppress prostate cancer development: S-allylmercaptocysteine or SAMC. The aged variety is available as a supplement.