Health

BEIJING: Garlic might prevent cancer, a researcher from Ohio State said.

A pilot study was conducted to see if different amounts of garlic stopped the formation of cancer-causing agents, a professor of human nutrition.

Scientists have been interested in garlic for a while.

They looked at urine samples and compared the amount of garlic subjects ate against the cancer-causing agents.

By measuring compounds in urine, scientists can determine how much garlic was eaten.

The people who were given more garlic had fewer possible carcinogens in their urine, he said.

The study used vitamin C, which has been found to fight cancer, as a positive control, or comparison to garlic. Vegetables containing nitrates are not shown to cause cancer because they contain vitamin C, which blocks the process, according to the study.