Can this food prevent cancer? Not only can it not, it will also make you smell bad

Recently, the topic of "eating raw garlic" has become a hot topic again. The saying that our "old friend" allicin "can inhibit the synthesis of carcinogens and directly kill cancer cells" has appeared in front of people again. However, does allicin really have such magical effects? It seems that I still need to talk about it again...

Can eating garlic prevent cancer?

The statement that "garlic can prevent cancer" is related to the in-depth research on allicin by researchers in recent years.

"Allicin" is a thiosulfinate ester, a substance in garlic that is beneficial to health. It has anti-inflammatory, blood pressure lowering, anti-cancer, and antiviral effects. It has inhibitory effects on many bacteria including Helicobacter pylori that causes gastric cancer.

However, the inhibitory effect of "allicin" is not "immediate". According to clinical data statistics, those with bacterial infections need to take allicin for one week, and those with fungal infections need to take allicin for four weeks before they are effective.

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Moreover, "garlic" and "allicin" are not the same thing. The content of allicin in a whole garlic is very low, and it will be completely decomposed after boiling for more than 5 minutes. After chopped raw garlic is placed in the air for 15 minutes, the alliin in the garlic combines with oxygen under the action of allinase to produce a very small amount of allicin.

Scientific research has found that eating allicin can help patients with gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers recover faster, but it is only an auxiliary effect. It is unrealistic to completely replace gastritis treatment drugs and antibiotics with allicin. Even if you go through a lot of hardships to eat "allicin", it only has the effect of reducing inflammation, slowing down the growth of bacteria and reducing the probability of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Moreover, allicin is irritating, and consuming a large amount of it can irritate the gastrointestinal tract and eyes. This is why many patients suffer from decreased vision after blindly eating raw garlic.

Therefore, the statements that "garlic prevents cancer" and "allicin prevents cancer" are generalizations and exaggerations and should not be believed.

In addition to the claim of preventing cancer, there have been people online saying that sautéing garlic can cause cancer. Is this claim credible?

Does stir-frying garlic cause cancer?

Some people claim that stir-frying garlic will produce the carcinogen acrylamide, so stir-frying garlic is carcinogenic.

In fact, during the process of stir-frying garlic, sugars and amino acids undergo the Maillard reaction at high temperature, which does produce a small amount of acrylamide.

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However, if the dosage is not taken into account, there is no question of toxicity. The amount of acrylamide produced by sautéing is very small and will not have any adverse effects on the human body . Therefore, this statement cannot be believed.

Properly avoid Helicobacter pylori

The so-called "garlic can prevent cancer" is mostly aimed at gastric cancer, and Helicobacter pylori in the stomach is one of the culprits of gastric cancer. So how can we correctly avoid the "harassment" of Helicobacter pylori?

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First of all, I want to emphasize that Helicobacter pylori is not that scary, so don't cause unnecessary panic. Patients who do not have peptic ulcers, gastric mucosal atrophy and erosion, recurrent functional dyspepsia, a family history of gastric cancer, patients diagnosed with gastric MALT lymphoma, and patients who do not take aspirin and other drugs for a long time do not need to worry too much even if they are infected with Helicobacter pylori. As for how to avoid infection with Helicobacter pylori, we should pay attention to the following aspects in our lives:

1. Develop good hygiene habits. The high rate of Helicobacter pylori in the population often leads to recurrence after being eliminated, so don't think that it is safe just because the people around you don't have gastritis symptoms. Implementing separate meals and using serving chopsticks at dinner parties are effective ways to keep Helicobacter pylori out. Of course, the hygiene of tableware is also very important.

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2. Protect your stomach and control your mouth. Avoid eating irritating foods. The stomach wall is very fragile and cannot withstand the repeated attacks of hard, spicy, cold, and hot foods.

3. Have regular physical examinations and do gastroscopy monitoring when necessary. The most common clinical method for detecting Helicobacter pylori is the carbon 14 breath test, which can quickly and easily determine whether there is Helicobacter pylori in the stomach. In addition, when there are symptoms of gastric ulcers, gastroscopy should be used to assist in confirming the occurrence of gastric ulcers, and timely treatment should be given to prevent them from worsening.

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4. Take medicine according to the dosage. Patients who need to take medicine after examination must strictly follow the course and dosage. If you are lazy in taking medicine, or stop taking medicine when you feel that the symptoms have been alleviated, the next gastritis attack will only be more severe and more difficult to treat.

Regardless of any virus or disease, the correct way to deal with it is to seek medical treatment in a timely manner and receive scientific treatment. It is unrealistic to hope that a certain type of food can cure the disease. A reasonable diet and lifestyle are indeed necessary conditions for maintaining good health.

Source: Science Refutes Rumors

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