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, 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 infection.

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.

Anything we can eat to wipe them out instead?

Decades before the 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%,

the standard triple drug antibiotic therapy is much more effective,

about 90% 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 22 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's evidence of publication bias though, meaning there appears

to have been other studies that maybe failed to show such an effect,

that 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 13 villages in China

were randomized into various combinations

of antibiotics, garlic supplements, and antioxidant supplements.

And just few weeks of antibiotics led to a significant decrease

in subsequent precancerous stomach growths 7 years later,

and a significant decrease in subsequent stomach cancer

by 15 years.

What about the garlic? No benefit by 7 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.