Allium vegetables and reduced risk of stomach cancer.

Interviews with 564 patients with stomach cancer and 1,131 controls in an area of China where gastric cancer rates are high revealed a significant reduction in gastric cancer risk with increasing consumption of allium vegetables. Persons in the highest quartile of intake experienced only 40% of the risk of those in the lowest. Protective effects were seen for garlic, onions, and other allium foods. Although additional research is needed before etiologic inferences can be made, the findings are consistent with recent reports of tumor inhibition following administration of allium compounds in experimental animals.