Is garlic effective in preventing stomach cancer?

Onions and garlic are the golden condiments in Chinese cuisine. Since the moment when Ambassador Zhang Qian brought them back from the Western Regions (garlic is native to Central Asia, and onions are native to Southwest Asia) during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and spread them to the earth, the aroma of garlic and onions has begun to linger on the dining tables of thousands of households. The health value of onions and garlic has also been discovered layer by layer as people become increasingly skilled in peeling garlic. According to information retrieved from the Internet, "onions and garlic contain more than 100 medicinal and health-care ingredients in one", which can not only disinfect and kill bacteria, relieve pain, strengthen the stomach, lower blood pressure, lower blood lipids, lower blood sugar, and treat colds, but also fight cancer, especially its outstanding effect in preventing and fighting gastric cancer has attracted much attention.

The idea that onions and garlic can prevent cancer has always been controversial. However, a study recently published in Gastroenterology, a top journal in the field of gastroenterology, clearly pointed out that onions and garlic can not only prevent gastric cancer, but also increase the intake of 20 grams of onions and garlic every day can reduce the incidence of gastric cancer by 10%. The study found that Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, the hometown of garlic and onions, is one of the areas with a low incidence of gastric cancer, while Yangzhong City, also in Jiangsu Province, has a relatively high incidence of gastric cancer because its citizens have a tradition of eating smoked and salted food. The incidence of gastric cancer in citizens of many onion and garlic hometowns in Sichuan, Shandong, Gansu and other provinces and cities is at a relatively low level in the country.