Scientists at Penn State University in the USA have shown that garlic can inhibit cancer causing toxins generated from nitrate compounds in the diet. It is a well known fact that nitrates in our food can be converted to carcinogenic compounds in the digestive tract. We also know that nitrates derived from plant foods are not generally considered to be as dangerous as those derived from meat products.
The reason for this apparent discrepancy is that nitrate containing plants generally provide significant amounts of vitamin C - and vitamin C is a well known inhibitor of the mechanism whereby these compounds are converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines.
The process is whereby nitrates and nitrites are changed to nitrosamines is called NITROSATION - this conversion process is usually associated with certain nitrates derived from certain foods and contaminated water. Nitrosamines are also be produced when nitrate containing foods are prepared at very high temperatures.
Writing in the journal of Analytical Chemistry, Prof. Earl Harrison and his colleagues show how they found that garlic can actually inhibit the nitrosation of nitrites and so reduce the quantity of toxic nitrosamines that are produced during the breakdown of dietary nitrates and nitrites.
