AAJ TV : Pakistan Ki Awaz

ISLAMABAD : In a small pilot study, a new test developed by researchers suggests that the more garlic people consumed, the lower the levels of the potential carcinogenic process were found.

Scientists said that these processes include nitrosation, or the conversion of some substances found in foods or contaminated water into carcinogens.

"What we were after developing a method where we could measure in urine two different compounds, one related to the risk for cancer, and the other, which indicates the extent of consumption of garlic," said Earl Harrison, senior study co-author and professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University (OSU).

"Our results showed that those were inversely related to one another - meaning that the more we had the marker for garlic consumption, the less there was of the marker for the risk of cancer."

Ultimately, the scientists hope to find that a nutritional intervention could be a way to stop the process that develops these carcinogens. This process is most commonly initiated by exposure to substances called nitrates from certain processed meats or high-heat food preparation practices, or to water contaminated by industry or agricultural runoff.

Vegetables also contain nitrates, but previous research has suggested that the vitamin C in vegetables lowers the risk that those nitrates will convert to something toxic.

Researchers suspected that nutrients in garlic could have similar antioxidant effects as vitamin C, said an OSU release.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2010