Study - garlic, shallots, and onions may fight prostate cancer

WASHINGTON -- Men in China have the lowest rate of prostate cancer in the world, and a diet rich in garlic, shallots and onions may be one of the reasons.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute report in a new study that a diet with lots of vegetables from the allium food group -- which includes garlic, shallots and onions -- reduces the risk of prostate cancer by about half. And the common Chinese diet includes hearty servings of these vegetables.

The study, appearing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is based on interviews with 238 men with prostate cancer and 471 men who were free of the disease.

Men in the study, all residents of Shanghai, China, were asked how frequently they ate 122 food items.

The results showed that those who ate more than a third of an ounce a day from the allium food group were about 50 percent less likely to have prostate cancer than those who ate less of the foods.

"We checked on many food items and the allium food group stood out" as protective against prostate cancer, said Ann W. Hsing, an NCI epidemiologist and the first author of the study. "But the conclusions need to be replicated in another study." She said the study was conducted in Shanghai because China has the lowest rate of prostate cancer in the world.

Scallions seemed to be the most protective. According to the study, men who ate about a tenth of an ounce or more a day of scallions reduced their prostate cancer risk by about 70 percent. For garlic consumption, the prostate cancer risk was reduced by about 53 percent.