Bawang merah dan bawang putih dapat mencegah kanker

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84, No. 5, 1027-1032, November
2006. © 2006 American Society for Nutrition. Onion and garlic use and human
cancer. Carlotta Galeone, Claudio Pelucchi, Fabio Levi, Eva Negri, Silvia
Franceschi, Renato Talamini, Attilio Giacosa and Carlo La Vecchia

Masyarakat Asia banyak menggunakan bawang merah (Allium cepa) dan bawang
putih (Allium sativum) dalam makanan sehari2. Tentang khasiat bawang merah
dan bawang putih juga telah banyak diteliti di China. Para ahli di Italia
mengadakan penelitian untuk membuktikan khasiat bawang merah dan bawang
putih.

Mereka mendapatkan bahwa kelompok orang yang banyak mengkonsumsi bawang
merah dan bawang putih dapat menurunkan risiko terjadinya kanker rongga
mulut, kanker tenggorokan, kanker esofagus, kanker kolorektal (usus besar),
kanker larynx, kanker payudara, kanker prostat, dan kanker ginjal.

Kesimpulan konsumsi bawang merah dan bawang putih terbukti dapat menurunkan
risiko kanker.

Abstract

Background: Interest in the potential benefits of allium vegetables, in
particular, onion (Allium cepa) and garlic (Allium sativum), has its origin
in antiquity, but the details of these benefits are still open to
discussion.

Objective: We investigated the role of allium vegetables in the etiology of
various neoplasms. Previous data are scanty and are based mainly on Chinese
studies.

Design: Using data from an integrated network of Italian and Swiss
case-control studies, we analyzed the relation between frequency of onion
and garlic use and cancer at several sites. We calculated odds ratios (ORs)
by using multivariate logistic regression models that were adjusted for
energy intake and other major covariates.

Results: Consumption of onions varied between 0-14 and 0-22 portions/wk
among cases and controls, respectively. The multivariate ORs for the highest
category of onion and garlic intake were, respectively, 0.16 and 0.61 for
cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 0.12 and 0.43 for esophageal cancer,
0.44 and 0.74 for colorectal cancer, 0.17 and 0.56 for laryngeal cancer,
0.75 and 0.90 for breast cancer, 0.27 and 0.78 for ovarian cancer, 0.29 and
0.81 for prostate cancer, and 0.62 and 0.69 for renal cell cancer.

Conclusions: This uniquely large data set from southern European populations
shows an inverse association between the frequency of use of allium
vegetables and the risk of several common cancers. Allium vegetables are a
favorable correlate of cancer risk in Europe.