The concept of "garlic can kill bacteria" has always been highly respected, and many people believe that garlic and its extracts have a variety of effects such as antibacterial, sterilization, and cancer prevention.
Some time ago, in order to kill Helicobacter pylori, a man ate garlic for 3 months in a row, and was finally diagnosed with stomach cancer.
What is going on? Can eating garlic inhibit, sterilize, and fight cancer?
Can garlic inhibit and sterilize?
Garlic is one of the common kitchen condiments, from a nutritional point of view, each 100 grams of garlic contains about 5.2 grams of protein, 28.4 grams of carbohydrates, as well as vitamin B6, trace elements such as phosphorus, iron and potassium.
Indeed, some in vitro studies have confirmed that "garlic can kill bacteria", and the antibacterial effect of raw garlic is significantly higher than that of cooked garlic, and the antibacterial effect of high concentration raw garlic juice is stronger than that of low concentration.
In addition, modern medical research has also found that garlic has the effects of lowering blood lipids, lowering blood sugar, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-tumor and strengthening immune function, and has a certain inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, yeast and Bacillus subtilis.
Since garlic can kill bacteria, can people eat garlic to sterilize the body and resist disease?
Although allicin has a certain antibacterial effect, eating more garlic does not sterilize the body. This is because the allicin contained in garlic will be broken down after entering the digestive system, and it often cannot play a practical bactericidal and antibacterial effect.
4 precautions for eating garlic
Although it cannot directly kill bacteria and resist diseases, garlic is rich in nutrients, and eating it in moderation still has many health benefits. In addition, people are advised to pay attention to the following when consuming garlic:
First and foremost, it's important to control your intake. Generally speaking, the number of raw garlic should not exceed 3 per day, 1-2 pieces are appropriate, and it is best to eat them every other day. Excessive consumption of garlic may lead to problems such as obstructed absorption of B vitamins, eye damage, and aggravation of the condition of people with excessive deficiency.
Secondly, special groups need to be cautious about eating garlic. Garlic is a beneficial food for healthy and normal people, but for some people with certain diseases, garlic can be a causative factor. Therefore, the following 6 groups of people are advised to eat garlic with caution: patients with eye disease, patients with liver disease, people with weakness and fever, people with spleen deficiency and diarrhea, severe patients, and people who are taking medicine.
Furthermore, raw garlic should not be consumed on an empty stomach. Due to the spicy taste of garlic and its strong corrosive and irritating properties, eating garlic on an empty stomach may cause damage to the gastric mucosa, cause symptoms such as stomach discomfort and heartburn, and may even induce acute gastritis.
Finally, garlic should not be consumed during diarrhea. When diarrhea occurs, the entire intestine is in a state of "oversaturation", and the consumption of spicy foods such as garlic may further irritate the intestinal wall, leading to increased vascular congestion and edema, allowing more tissue fluid to enter the intestines, thus aggravating the symptoms of diarrhea.
Rely on garlic and okra to fight cancer?
In addition to garlic, there are many foods known as "anti-cancer stars", such as broccoli, okra, onions, etc., which have always occupied an important position in the "anti-cancer food list".
Most of these so-called "anti-cancer foods" contain antioxidant and anti-tumor substances, and have indeed shown certain anti-cancer effects in scientific research experiments. But these experiments are basically animal experiments, cell experiments, not human experiments.
This means that we cannot accurately predict its effectiveness when it comes to dosage. For example, the allicin in garlic has a strong killing effect on cancer cells at high concentrations, but to achieve this "high concentration", it may require the patient to ingest a very large amount of garlic at one time, which is obviously unrealistic.
So, what is the real anti-cancer solution?
Cancer is a multifactorial disease that is usually related to a variety of factors such as genetics, lifestyle, dietary habits and environment. Based on research evidence, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research have proposed some clear and effective cancer prevention measures, including the following seven points:
1. On the premise of avoiding underweight, control weight as much as possible and avoid excessive obesity;
2. Limit the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and energy-intensive foods (especially processed foods high in sugar or low in fibre or fat);
3. Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes;
4. Eat less red meat (such as beef, pork) and less processed meat products (note: eat less, not not eat!);
5. Quit smoking and drinking;
6. Limit salt (sodium) intake;
7. It is not recommended to use supplements to prevent cancer.