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Compound from aged garlic demonstrates anti-cancer activity

06/10/2019 // Michelle Simmons // Views

Tags: aged garlic, aged garlic extract, alternative medicine, cancer, cancer prevention, disease prevention, food is medicine, food science, foodcures, functional food, garlic, goodfood, goodmedicine, goodscience, healing foods, herbal medicine, Herbs, natural medicine, research, S-allylmercaptocysteine, superfoods

Researchers from Fujian Normal University, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, and The University of Hong Kong looked at the anti-cancer activity of a compound in aged garlic called S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC) in a review of studies. They published their findings in the Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines.

• Daily consumption of food supplements with anti-cancer potential has become a way to prevent and manage cancer.
• Emerging evidence supports a link between garlic consumption and decreased cancer incidence.
• Notably, aged garlic extract (AGE) has stronger anti-cancer activities than that of fresh garlic, because it is enriched with AGE-specific organosulfur compounds, such as SAMC.
• In this review, the researchers looked at studies on SAMC and its anti-cancer potential.
• They summarized the up-to-date mechanistic pathways associated with the anti-proliferative, anti-metastatic and pro-apoptotic effects of SAMC in various cancer models.
• Evidence suggested that SAMC can protect against cancer because of its ability to eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increase antioxidant enzymes.
• SAMC also exhibits anti-tumor effects by activating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), scavenging active oxygen, and inhibiting inflammation.
• SAMC can induce Bcl-2 family imbalance to cause programmed cell death of tumor cells.
• It can also inhibit tumor cell proliferation and suppress tumor cell invasiveness.
• Additionally, it can increase the chemosensitivity of cancer cells.

Based on the evidence gathered, the researchers concluded that SAMC in aged garlic can be used as a promising daily food supplement for preventing and treating cancer.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

For more studies on food supplements that have anti-cancer potential like aged garlic, visit AntiCancer.news.

Journal Reference:

LV Y, So KF, Wong NK, Xiao J. ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITIES OF S-ALLYLMERCAPTOCYSTEINE FROM AGED GARLIC. Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines. January 2019; 17(1): 43-49.  DOI: 10.1016/S1875-5364(19)30008-1

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