What explains the Achilles’ heel in certain Asian diets?
Friday Favorites: The Role of Kimchi and H. Pylori in Stomach Cancer and How to Treat H. Pylori Naturally with Diet
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Japan has one of the longest life expectancies but also one of the highest rates of stomach cancer. Why? In this two-part video series, I’ll uncover the role of H. pylori, diet, and how foods like broccoli sprouts and garlic can help us fight back.
For decades, Japan has had the longest life expectancy in the world, while spending just a fraction on healthcare compared to other high-income countries. This longevity has been attributed in part to Japanese dietary patterns, which are thought to have contributed to their comparatively low rates of coronary artery disease. Japan has historically had among the lowest rates of colon cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and blood cancers. Japan, however, has among the highest rates of stomach cancer. Yes, Japanese men may have had seven times less prostate cancer than Americans but got six times more stomach cancer. Is there some Achilles’ heel in the Japanese diet?
One of the first theories, proposed in the 1970s, was that it was the talc used to polish white rice to give it a glossy sheen. That was the case with ovarian cancer, which led to billions in damages against Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder, as I detailed in a previous video, but that did not appear to be the case with stomach cancer. Is it just genetics? No. Studies on Japanese migrants show that as they and their children Westernize their diets and lifestyles, their stomach cancer rates drop accordingly.
Well, the most well-established risk factor for stomach cancer is H. pylori, a bacteria that infects the lining of the stomach and causes the chronic inflammation that can lead to cancer. H. pylori infection is considered a Group 1 carcinogen, indicating our highest level of certainty that it indeed causes cancer. Korea and Japan have the highest rates of stomach cancer, and among the highest incidence of H. pylori infection. Case closed, then, right? The mystery seemed to have been solved.
But then came the “African enigma.” Countries such as Nigeria had even more H. pylori, but only a fraction of Japan’s stomach cancer rates. Then came the “Indian enigma.” H. pylori is twice as prevalent in India than Japan, yet Indians get ten times less stomach cancer. Obviously, H. pylori alone can’t explain Japan’s epidemic.
Though most cases of stomach cancer are thought to be caused by H. pylori, most people with H. pylori don’t get cancer. H. pylori is one of the most common human infections. It has been estimated that half of the world’s adult population is infected with H. pylori, yet half of us don’t get stomach cancer. There must be some kind of co-factor in countries like Korea and Japan that explains their elevated cancer rates. The inflammation caused by H. pylori may just set the stage for cancer formation, increasing the susceptibility of the stomach lining to dietary carcinogens. But what’s so carcinogenic about Korean and Japanese diets?
Studies that have compared the dietary components of different Asian populations with similar H. pylori rates, but dramatically different stomach cancer rates, have suggested preserved, salted foods—both fish and vegetables—as the culprits. Fresh vegetables and fruits, on the other hand, were associated with an 85 percent reduction in stomach cancer odds, whereas consumption of fresh fish doesn’t appear associated with stomach cancer either way.
A review of sixty studies found that the consumption of pickled foods was associated with significantly higher rates of stomach cancer, though more so in Korea than Japan, perhaps because per-capita Korean consumption of salt-fermented vegetables, like kimchi, is five to eight times greater. You can’t know for sure though, until you put it to the test.
Pickled vegetable extracts can cause DNA damage in cells in a petri dish, but what about in people? Researchers in Vancouver fed people 30 ounces of fukujinzuke (assorted vegetables pickled in soy sauce) or pickled cucumbers over a three-day period. Biopsies taken from their stomach lining before the experiment started were normal, as were the biopsies taken after eating fresh carrots or cucumbers. But after just a few days of consuming pickled vegetables, moderate to severe tissue abnormalities were found, suggestive of stomach irritation.
The consumption of non-fermented soy foods, such as tofu, edamame, and soymilk, is linked to a lower risk of stomach cancer in Japan, whereas no association was found with fermented soy foods—even highly salted miso. The protection afforded by soy foods was attributed to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of the isoflavone compounds in soybeans.
Salt itself isn’t considered a direct carcinogen, but it may damage the stomach lining, thin the protective mucus layer, enhance H. pylori colonization, enhance the penetration of carcinogens, and enhance the formation of carcinogens. Even moderately high salt intake is associated with significantly increased risk of stomach cancer, though in Japan this effect may be limited to those already suffering from H. pylori-induced inflammation.
H. pylori is typically treated with a cocktail of multiple antibiotics. Is there any way to eradicate it naturally through diet? We’ll find out next.
The salting and pickling of fish produces a novel DNA mutating chemical called CMBA, which is formed from a reaction of the salt, nitrite preservatives, and methionine, an amino acid found concentrated in animal proteins. The nitrites can also interact with other protein components to form N-nitroso compounds, a powerful class of carcinogens found in cigarette smoke. This may explain why processed meats such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, lunch meat, and sausage have been tied to increased stomach cancer risk––but this extends to fresh, unprocessed, unsalted meat as well.
But wait; I thought most stomach cancer was caused by an infection with a stomach bacteria called H. pylori. There’s a synergistic interaction between H. pylori-induced inflammation gastritis and diet in the formation of stomach cancer. Check it out. Researchers in China discovered that even genetically vulnerable individuals infected with a particularly pathogenic strain of H. pylori did not appear to be at increased risk of stomach cancer, unless they ate about an ounce or more of pork per day. (An average pork chop is like about six ounces.) This is a striking example of how our diet can sometimes trump both our genes and environmental influences like cancer-causing infections. But is there a way to wipe out the H. pylori in the first place?
Normally you’d use a triple antibiotic cocktail of drugs to kill off H. pylori, but patient compliance is difficult to maintain due to the quantity of drugs taken and the adverse side-effects. Is there anything we can eat to wipe them out instead?
Decades before its detoxifying and anti-cancer abilities were discovered, sulforaphane, that remarkable compound in cruciferous vegetables, was originally described for its antimicrobial activity. After hearing anecdotal reports of individuals with H. pylori-induced peptic ulcer disease experiencing dramatic and sometimes unexpected relief after eating three-day-old broccoli sprouts, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and elsewhere decided to put broccoli sprouts to the test. Not only did broccoli sprout extracts kill antibiotic-resistant strains of H. pylori in a petri dish, some patients who were given as little as a third of a cup of broccoli sprouts a day for a week were able to eradicate their H. pylori infection. So how about a randomized controlled trial (broccoli sprouts vs. alfalfa sprouts) and . . . those given two to three servings of broccoli a day worth of sprouts were able to significantly cut down on markers of both H. pylori colonization and stomach lining inflammation.
Though broccoli sprouts may be able to eradicate H. pylori in the majority of patients—56 percent—the standard triple drug antibiotic therapy is much more effective—about 90 percent eradication. Still, for those who don’t meet the criteria for drug treatment, cruciferous vegetables may present a safe, natural way to combat H. pylori and the development of stomach cancer. A compilation of twenty-two population studies found that eating more cruciferous vegetables was associated with a significantly lower stomach cancer risk, but broccoli has never been directly put to the test, but garlic has.
Observational studies dating back to the 1960s on Japanese migrants have suggested that allium family vegetables, garlic and onion family vegetables, may be protective against stomach cancer. To date, there have been dozens of such studies published, and overall, eating lots of allium vegetables was indeed associated with significantly lower stomach cancer risk. There is evidence of publication bias, though, meaning there appears to have been other studies that failed to show such an effect, but were shelved and never published. Even if this weren’t the case, observational studies never prove cause and effect.
Maybe low garlic and onion consumption didn’t contribute to stomach cancer, for example, but rather stomach cancer contributed to low garlic and onion consumption. Decades of H. pylori stomach inflammation leading up to the cancer may have led to individuals choosing bland diets to avoid discomfort. You can’t know if garlic really helps until you put it to the test.
Louis Pasteur was evidently the first to describe the antibacterial effect of onion and garlic juices.
Petri dish studies have shown that garlic is effective in suppressing the growth of H. pylori at concentrations achievable in the stomach with a single clove. Even some antibiotic-resistant strains are susceptible. But does this translate into stopping the growth of cancer? A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was launched to find out.
Thousands of individuals at high risk for stomach cancer from thirteen villages in China were randomized into various combinations of antibiotics, garlic supplements, and antioxidant supplements. And just a few weeks of antibiotics led to a significant decrease in subsequent precancerous stomach growths seven years later, and a significant decrease in subsequent stomach cancer by 15 years. What about the garlic? No benefit by seven years, and only a non-statistically significant reduction after 15 years. But in 2019, we got the 22-year update––15 years after the study ended. And those who had taken the garlic did indeed have a significantly lower risk of subsequently dying from cancer, though interestingly, the protective effect of garlic only seemed to manifest among nondrinkers.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Murray CJ. Why is Japanese life expectancy so high? Lancet. 2011;378(9797):1124-5.
- Tada N, Maruyama C, Koba S, et al. Japanese dietary lifestyle and cardiovascular disease. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2011;18(9):723-34.
- Wynder EL, Fujita Y, Harris RE, Hirayama T, Hiyama T. Comparative epidemiology of cancer between the United States and Japan. A second look. Cancer. 1991;67(3):746-63.
- McCarty MF. Minimizing the cancer-promotional activity of cox-2 as a central strategy in cancer prevention. Med Hypotheses. 2012;78(1):45-57.
- Stemmermann GN, Kolonel LN. Talc-coated rice as a risk factor for stomach cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 1978;31(11):2017-9.
- Inoue M, Tsugane S. Epidemiology of gastric cancer in Japan. Postgrad Med J. 2005;81(957):419-24.
- Asaka M, Mabe K. Strategies for eliminating death from gastric cancer in Japan. Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2014;90(7):251-8.
- Humans IWG on the E of CR to. Schistosomes, Liver Flukes and Helicobacter Pylori. IARC. 1994;61:220.
- Peleteiro B, Bastos A, Ferro A, Lunet N. Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection worldwide: a systematic review of studies with national coverage. Dig Dis Sci. 2014;59(8):1698-709.
- Holcombe C. Helicobacter pylori: the African enigma. Gut. 1992;33(4):429-31.
- Misra V, Pandey R, Misra SP, Dwivedi M. Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: Indian enigma. World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(6):1503-9.
- Fock KM. Review article: the epidemiology and prevention of gastric cancer. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014;40(3):250-60.
- Plummer M, de Martel C, Vignat J, Ferlay J, Bray F, Franceschi S. Global burden of cancers attributable to infections in 2012: a synthetic analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2016;4(9):e609-16.
- Yamaguchi N, Kakizoe T. Synergistic interaction between Helicobacter pylori gastritis and diet in gastric cancer. Lancet Oncol. 2001;2(2):88-94.
- Goh KL, Cheah PL, Md N, Quek KF, Parasakthi N. Ethnicity and H. pylori as risk factors for gastric cancer in Malaysia: A prospective case control study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007;102(1):40-5.
- Fang X, Wei J, He X, et al. Landscape of dietary factors associated with risk of gastric cancer: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Cancer. 2015;51(18):2820-32.
- Ren JS, Kamangar F, Forman D, Islami F. Pickled food and risk of gastric cancer—a systematic review and meta-analysis of english and chinese literature. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2012;21(6):905-15.
- Cheng SJ, Sala M, Li MH, Wang MY, Pot-Deprun J, Chouroulinkov I. Mutagenic, transforming and promoting effect of pickled vegetables from Linxian county, China. Carcinogenesis. 1980;1(8):685-92.
- MacDonald WC, Anderson FH, Hashimoto S. Histological effect of certain pickles on the human gastric mucos. Can Med Assoc J. 1967;96(23):1521-5.
- Wada K, Tsuji M, Tamura T, et al. Soy isoflavone intake and stomach cancer risk in Japan: From the Takayama study. Int J Cancer. 2015;137(4):885-92.
- Ko KP, Park SK, Yang JJ, et al. Intake of soy products and other foods and gastric cancer risk: a prospective study. J Epidemiol. 2013;23(5):337-43.
- Kim HJ, Lim SY, Lee JS, et al. Fresh and pickled vegetable consumption and gastric cancer in Japanese and Korean populations: A meta-analysis of observational studies. Cancer Sci. 2010;101(2):508-16.
- Rojas‐Campos N, Sigarán MF, Bravo AV, Jimenez‐Ulate F, Correa DP. Salt enhances the mutagenicity of nitrosated black beans. Nutr Cancer. 1990;14(1):1-3.
- D’Elia L, Rossi G, Ippolito R, Cappuccio FP, Strazzullo P. Habitual salt intake and risk of gastric cancer: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. Clin Nutr. 2012;31(4):489-98.
- Shikata K, Kiyohara Y, Kubo M, et al. A prospective study of dietary salt intake and gastric cancer incidence in a defined Japanese population: The Hisayama study. Int J Cancer. 2006;119(1):196-201.
- Chey WD, Leontiadis GI, Howden CW, Moss SF. Acg clinical guideline: treatment of helicobacter pylori infection. Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112(2):212-39.
- Coleman J. Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $2.1 billion in baby powder lawsuit. The Hill. June 23, 2020.
- Chen W, Weisburger JH, Fiala ES, et al. Gastric carcinogenesis: 2-chloro-4-methylthiobutanoic acid, a novel mutagen in salted, pickled Sanma hiraki fish, or similarly treated methionine. Chem Res Toxicol. 1996;9(1):58-66.
- Dellavalle CT, Daniel CR, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, et al. Dietary intake of nitrate and nitrite and risk of renal cell carcinoma in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Br J Cancer. 2013;108(1):205-12.
- Ferro A, Rosato V, Rota M, et al. Meat intake and risk of gastric cancer in the Stomach cancer Pooling (Stop) project. Int J Cancer. 2020;147(1):45-55.
- Muzaheed. Helicobacter pylori oncogenicity: mechanism, prevention, and risk factors. Sci World J. 2020;2020:1-10.
- Yamaguchi N, Kakizoe T. Synergistic interaction between Helicobacter pylori gastritis and diet in gastric cancer. Lancet Oncol. 2001;2(2):88-94.
- Wang XQ, Terry PD, Cheng L, et al. Interactions between pork consumption, CagA status and IL-1B-31 genotypes in gastric cancer. World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(25):8151-7.
- Chey WD, Leontiadis GI, Howden CW, Moss SF. Acg clinical guideline: treatment of helicobacter pylori infection. Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112(2):212-39.
- Malfertheiner P. Compliance, adverse events and antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori treatment. Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl. 1993;196:34-7.
- Fahey JW, Stephenson KK, Wallace AJ. Dietary amelioration of Helicobacter infection. Nutr Res. 2015;35(6):461-73.
- Zhang Y, Tang L. Discovery and development of sulforaphane as a cancer chemopreventive phytochemical. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2007;28(9):1343-54.
- Fahey JW, Haristoy X, Dolan PM, et al. Sulforaphane inhibits extracellular, intracellular, and antibiotic-resistant strains of Helicobacter pylori and prevents benzo[a]pyrene-induced stomach tumors. PNAS. 2002;99(11):7610-5.
- Galan MV, Kishan AA, Silverman AL. Oral broccoli sprouts for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: a preliminary report. Dig Dis Sci. 2004;49(7-8):1088-90.
- Yanaka A, Fahey JW, Fukumoto A, et al. Dietary sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprouts reduce colonization and attenuate gastritis in helicobacter pylori–infected mice and humans. Cancer Prev Res. 2009;2(4):353-60.
- Mirmiran P, Bahadoran Z, Golzarand M, Zojaji H, Azizi F. A comparative study of broccoli sprouts powder and standard triple therapy on cardiovascular risk factors following H.pylori eradication: a randomized clinical trial in patients with type 2 diabetes. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2014;13:64.
- Wu Q, Yang Y, Wang J, Han L, Xiang Y. Cruciferous vegetable consumption and gastric cancer risk: A meta‐analysis of epidemiological studies. Cancer Sci. 2013;104(8):1067-73.
- Li WQ, Zhang JY, Ma JL, et al. Effects of Helicobacter pylori treatment and vitamin and garlic supplementation on gastric cancer incidence and mortality: follow-up of a randomized intervention trial. BMJ. 2019;366:l5016.
- Haenszel W, Kurihara M, Segi M, Lee RK. Stomach cancer among Japanese in Hawaii. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1972;49(4):969-88.
- Turati F, Pelucchi C, Guercio V, Vecchia CL, Galeone C. Allium vegetable intake and gastric cancer: A case–control study and meta-analysis. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015;59(1):171-9.
- Fleischauer AT, Arab L. Garlic and cancer: a critical review of the epidemiologic literature. J Nutr. 2001;131(3):1032S-40S.
- Sivam GP. Protection against helicobacter pylori and other bacterial infections by garlic. J Nutr. 2001;131(3):1106S-8S.
- You W cheng, Brown LM, Zhang L, et al. Randomized double-blind factorial trial of three treatments to reduce the prevalence of precancerous gastric lesions. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006;98(14):974-83.
- Ma JL, Zhang L, Brown LM, et al. Fifteen-year effects of Helicobacter pylori, garlic, and vitamin treatments on gastric cancer incidence and mortality. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012;104(6):488-92.
- Guo Y, Li ZX, Zhang JY, et al. Association between lifestyle factors, vitamin and garlic supplementation, and gastric cancer outcomes: a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(6):e206628.
Motion graphics by Avo Media
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Japan has one of the longest life expectancies but also one of the highest rates of stomach cancer. Why? In this two-part video series, I’ll uncover the role of H. pylori, diet, and how foods like broccoli sprouts and garlic can help us fight back.
For decades, Japan has had the longest life expectancy in the world, while spending just a fraction on healthcare compared to other high-income countries. This longevity has been attributed in part to Japanese dietary patterns, which are thought to have contributed to their comparatively low rates of coronary artery disease. Japan has historically had among the lowest rates of colon cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and blood cancers. Japan, however, has among the highest rates of stomach cancer. Yes, Japanese men may have had seven times less prostate cancer than Americans but got six times more stomach cancer. Is there some Achilles’ heel in the Japanese diet?
One of the first theories, proposed in the 1970s, was that it was the talc used to polish white rice to give it a glossy sheen. That was the case with ovarian cancer, which led to billions in damages against Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder, as I detailed in a previous video, but that did not appear to be the case with stomach cancer. Is it just genetics? No. Studies on Japanese migrants show that as they and their children Westernize their diets and lifestyles, their stomach cancer rates drop accordingly.
Well, the most well-established risk factor for stomach cancer is H. pylori, a bacteria that infects the lining of the stomach and causes the chronic inflammation that can lead to cancer. H. pylori infection is considered a Group 1 carcinogen, indicating our highest level of certainty that it indeed causes cancer. Korea and Japan have the highest rates of stomach cancer, and among the highest incidence of H. pylori infection. Case closed, then, right? The mystery seemed to have been solved.
But then came the “African enigma.” Countries such as Nigeria had even more H. pylori, but only a fraction of Japan’s stomach cancer rates. Then came the “Indian enigma.” H. pylori is twice as prevalent in India than Japan, yet Indians get ten times less stomach cancer. Obviously, H. pylori alone can’t explain Japan’s epidemic.
Though most cases of stomach cancer are thought to be caused by H. pylori, most people with H. pylori don’t get cancer. H. pylori is one of the most common human infections. It has been estimated that half of the world’s adult population is infected with H. pylori, yet half of us don’t get stomach cancer. There must be some kind of co-factor in countries like Korea and Japan that explains their elevated cancer rates. The inflammation caused by H. pylori may just set the stage for cancer formation, increasing the susceptibility of the stomach lining to dietary carcinogens. But what’s so carcinogenic about Korean and Japanese diets?
Studies that have compared the dietary components of different Asian populations with similar H. pylori rates, but dramatically different stomach cancer rates, have suggested preserved, salted foods—both fish and vegetables—as the culprits. Fresh vegetables and fruits, on the other hand, were associated with an 85 percent reduction in stomach cancer odds, whereas consumption of fresh fish doesn’t appear associated with stomach cancer either way.
A review of sixty studies found that the consumption of pickled foods was associated with significantly higher rates of stomach cancer, though more so in Korea than Japan, perhaps because per-capita Korean consumption of salt-fermented vegetables, like kimchi, is five to eight times greater. You can’t know for sure though, until you put it to the test.
Pickled vegetable extracts can cause DNA damage in cells in a petri dish, but what about in people? Researchers in Vancouver fed people 30 ounces of fukujinzuke (assorted vegetables pickled in soy sauce) or pickled cucumbers over a three-day period. Biopsies taken from their stomach lining before the experiment started were normal, as were the biopsies taken after eating fresh carrots or cucumbers. But after just a few days of consuming pickled vegetables, moderate to severe tissue abnormalities were found, suggestive of stomach irritation.
The consumption of non-fermented soy foods, such as tofu, edamame, and soymilk, is linked to a lower risk of stomach cancer in Japan, whereas no association was found with fermented soy foods—even highly salted miso. The protection afforded by soy foods was attributed to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of the isoflavone compounds in soybeans.
Salt itself isn’t considered a direct carcinogen, but it may damage the stomach lining, thin the protective mucus layer, enhance H. pylori colonization, enhance the penetration of carcinogens, and enhance the formation of carcinogens. Even moderately high salt intake is associated with significantly increased risk of stomach cancer, though in Japan this effect may be limited to those already suffering from H. pylori-induced inflammation.
H. pylori is typically treated with a cocktail of multiple antibiotics. Is there any way to eradicate it naturally through diet? We’ll find out next.
The salting and pickling of fish produces a novel DNA mutating chemical called CMBA, which is formed from a reaction of the salt, nitrite preservatives, and methionine, an amino acid found concentrated in animal proteins. The nitrites can also interact with other protein components to form N-nitroso compounds, a powerful class of carcinogens found in cigarette smoke. This may explain why processed meats such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, lunch meat, and sausage have been tied to increased stomach cancer risk––but this extends to fresh, unprocessed, unsalted meat as well.
But wait; I thought most stomach cancer was caused by an infection with a stomach bacteria called H. pylori. There’s a synergistic interaction between H. pylori-induced inflammation gastritis and diet in the formation of stomach cancer. Check it out. Researchers in China discovered that even genetically vulnerable individuals infected with a particularly pathogenic strain of H. pylori did not appear to be at increased risk of stomach cancer, unless they ate about an ounce or more of pork per day. (An average pork chop is like about six ounces.) This is a striking example of how our diet can sometimes trump both our genes and environmental influences like cancer-causing infections. But is there a way to wipe out the H. pylori in the first place?
Normally you’d use a triple antibiotic cocktail of drugs to kill off H. pylori, but patient compliance is difficult to maintain due to the quantity of drugs taken and the adverse side-effects. Is there anything we can eat to wipe them out instead?
Decades before its detoxifying and anti-cancer abilities were discovered, sulforaphane, that remarkable compound in cruciferous vegetables, was originally described for its antimicrobial activity. After hearing anecdotal reports of individuals with H. pylori-induced peptic ulcer disease experiencing dramatic and sometimes unexpected relief after eating three-day-old broccoli sprouts, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and elsewhere decided to put broccoli sprouts to the test. Not only did broccoli sprout extracts kill antibiotic-resistant strains of H. pylori in a petri dish, some patients who were given as little as a third of a cup of broccoli sprouts a day for a week were able to eradicate their H. pylori infection. So how about a randomized controlled trial (broccoli sprouts vs. alfalfa sprouts) and . . . those given two to three servings of broccoli a day worth of sprouts were able to significantly cut down on markers of both H. pylori colonization and stomach lining inflammation.
Though broccoli sprouts may be able to eradicate H. pylori in the majority of patients—56 percent—the standard triple drug antibiotic therapy is much more effective—about 90 percent eradication. Still, for those who don’t meet the criteria for drug treatment, cruciferous vegetables may present a safe, natural way to combat H. pylori and the development of stomach cancer. A compilation of twenty-two population studies found that eating more cruciferous vegetables was associated with a significantly lower stomach cancer risk, but broccoli has never been directly put to the test, but garlic has.
Observational studies dating back to the 1960s on Japanese migrants have suggested that allium family vegetables, garlic and onion family vegetables, may be protective against stomach cancer. To date, there have been dozens of such studies published, and overall, eating lots of allium vegetables was indeed associated with significantly lower stomach cancer risk. There is evidence of publication bias, though, meaning there appears to have been other studies that failed to show such an effect, but were shelved and never published. Even if this weren’t the case, observational studies never prove cause and effect.
Maybe low garlic and onion consumption didn’t contribute to stomach cancer, for example, but rather stomach cancer contributed to low garlic and onion consumption. Decades of H. pylori stomach inflammation leading up to the cancer may have led to individuals choosing bland diets to avoid discomfort. You can’t know if garlic really helps until you put it to the test.
Louis Pasteur was evidently the first to describe the antibacterial effect of onion and garlic juices.
Petri dish studies have shown that garlic is effective in suppressing the growth of H. pylori at concentrations achievable in the stomach with a single clove. Even some antibiotic-resistant strains are susceptible. But does this translate into stopping the growth of cancer? A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was launched to find out.
Thousands of individuals at high risk for stomach cancer from thirteen villages in China were randomized into various combinations of antibiotics, garlic supplements, and antioxidant supplements. And just a few weeks of antibiotics led to a significant decrease in subsequent precancerous stomach growths seven years later, and a significant decrease in subsequent stomach cancer by 15 years. What about the garlic? No benefit by seven years, and only a non-statistically significant reduction after 15 years. But in 2019, we got the 22-year update––15 years after the study ended. And those who had taken the garlic did indeed have a significantly lower risk of subsequently dying from cancer, though interestingly, the protective effect of garlic only seemed to manifest among nondrinkers.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Murray CJ. Why is Japanese life expectancy so high? Lancet. 2011;378(9797):1124-5.
- Tada N, Maruyama C, Koba S, et al. Japanese dietary lifestyle and cardiovascular disease. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2011;18(9):723-34.
- Wynder EL, Fujita Y, Harris RE, Hirayama T, Hiyama T. Comparative epidemiology of cancer between the United States and Japan. A second look. Cancer. 1991;67(3):746-63.
- McCarty MF. Minimizing the cancer-promotional activity of cox-2 as a central strategy in cancer prevention. Med Hypotheses. 2012;78(1):45-57.
- Stemmermann GN, Kolonel LN. Talc-coated rice as a risk factor for stomach cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 1978;31(11):2017-9.
- Inoue M, Tsugane S. Epidemiology of gastric cancer in Japan. Postgrad Med J. 2005;81(957):419-24.
- Asaka M, Mabe K. Strategies for eliminating death from gastric cancer in Japan. Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2014;90(7):251-8.
- Humans IWG on the E of CR to. Schistosomes, Liver Flukes and Helicobacter Pylori. IARC. 1994;61:220.
- Peleteiro B, Bastos A, Ferro A, Lunet N. Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection worldwide: a systematic review of studies with national coverage. Dig Dis Sci. 2014;59(8):1698-709.
- Holcombe C. Helicobacter pylori: the African enigma. Gut. 1992;33(4):429-31.
- Misra V, Pandey R, Misra SP, Dwivedi M. Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: Indian enigma. World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(6):1503-9.
- Fock KM. Review article: the epidemiology and prevention of gastric cancer. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014;40(3):250-60.
- Plummer M, de Martel C, Vignat J, Ferlay J, Bray F, Franceschi S. Global burden of cancers attributable to infections in 2012: a synthetic analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2016;4(9):e609-16.
- Yamaguchi N, Kakizoe T. Synergistic interaction between Helicobacter pylori gastritis and diet in gastric cancer. Lancet Oncol. 2001;2(2):88-94.
- Goh KL, Cheah PL, Md N, Quek KF, Parasakthi N. Ethnicity and H. pylori as risk factors for gastric cancer in Malaysia: A prospective case control study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007;102(1):40-5.
- Fang X, Wei J, He X, et al. Landscape of dietary factors associated with risk of gastric cancer: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Cancer. 2015;51(18):2820-32.
- Ren JS, Kamangar F, Forman D, Islami F. Pickled food and risk of gastric cancer—a systematic review and meta-analysis of english and chinese literature. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2012;21(6):905-15.
- Cheng SJ, Sala M, Li MH, Wang MY, Pot-Deprun J, Chouroulinkov I. Mutagenic, transforming and promoting effect of pickled vegetables from Linxian county, China. Carcinogenesis. 1980;1(8):685-92.
- MacDonald WC, Anderson FH, Hashimoto S. Histological effect of certain pickles on the human gastric mucos. Can Med Assoc J. 1967;96(23):1521-5.
- Wada K, Tsuji M, Tamura T, et al. Soy isoflavone intake and stomach cancer risk in Japan: From the Takayama study. Int J Cancer. 2015;137(4):885-92.
- Ko KP, Park SK, Yang JJ, et al. Intake of soy products and other foods and gastric cancer risk: a prospective study. J Epidemiol. 2013;23(5):337-43.
- Kim HJ, Lim SY, Lee JS, et al. Fresh and pickled vegetable consumption and gastric cancer in Japanese and Korean populations: A meta-analysis of observational studies. Cancer Sci. 2010;101(2):508-16.
- Rojas‐Campos N, Sigarán MF, Bravo AV, Jimenez‐Ulate F, Correa DP. Salt enhances the mutagenicity of nitrosated black beans. Nutr Cancer. 1990;14(1):1-3.
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Republishing "Friday Favorites: The Role of Kimchi and H. Pylori in Stomach Cancer and How to Treat H. Pylori Naturally with Diet"
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Friday Favorites: The Role of Kimchi and H. Pylori in Stomach Cancer and How to Treat H. Pylori Naturally with Diet
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
The talc video I mentioned was Talcum Powder and Fibroids.
I previously talked about Japan’s stomach cancer rates in Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors: Saturated Fat, and my video Is Miso Healthy? has more on salt consumption and cancer.
For more on cruciferous and allium family vegetables and cancer, see:
- DNA Protection from Broccoli
- Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic and Flavonoids
- Lung Cancer Metastases and Broccoli
- Benefits of Garlic for Fighting Cancer and the Common Cold
The original video aired on August 15 and 17, 2022
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