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Garlic in food is harmless, and some studies link eating more of it with fewer stomach and bowel cancers, but the evidence is mixed. Concentrated garlic supplements thin the blood, so they should be stopped a week before surgery and avoided with blood thinners or low platelets.
Garlic is used as a food and as a supplement for cholesterol, blood pressure, infections and cancer. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary describes the cancer evidence as mixed: in a large trial, long-term garlic supplementation was associated with lower gastric cancer mortality but not incidence, while other data found neither; meta-analyses disagree on colorectal cancer; and inverse associations with endometrial, prostate and other cancers come from observational studies. There is no evidence that garlic treats an established cancer. Because garlic reduces platelet aggregation and can raise the INR, MSK advises against using supplements with anticoagulants or with platelet problems, and stopping at least seven days before surgery; it lists perioperative bleeding and a spinal epidural haematoma after heavy use. Garlic extract induced the drug transporter P-glycoprotein in healthy volunteers, and in another study in healthy volunteers garlic supplements lowered levels of an HIV protease inhibitor (peak levels by 54 per cent and trough levels by 49 per cent), showing that a supplement can lower drug exposure enough to matter. Raw garlic applied to the skin causes chemical burns.
Allicin and other organosulphur compounds formed when garlic is crushed have antiplatelet and antimicrobial effects; processing changes their content substantially.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Garlic supplements" OR ABSTRACT:"Garlic supplements" OR TITLE:"Allium sativum" OR ABSTRACT:"Allium sativum" OR TITLE:"Aged garlic extract" OR ABSTRACT:"Aged garlic extract" OR TITLE:"Kyolic" OR ABSTRACT:"Kyolic") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Garlic supplements, not a curated reading list.
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Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
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