title: Allium vegetables and risk of prostate cancer: a population-based study.
abstract: Epidemiologic and laboratory studies suggest that allium vegetables and garlic constituents have antitumor effects. In a population-based, case-control study conducted in Shanghai, China, we investigated the association between intake of allium vegetables, including garlic, scallions, onions, chives, and leeks, and the risk of prostate cancer. We administered in-person interviews and collected information on 122 food items from 238 case subjects with incident, histologically confirmed prostate cancer and from 471 male population control subjects. Men in the highest of three intake categories of total allium vegetables (>10.0 g/day) had a statistically significantly lower risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34 to 0.76; P(trend)<.001) of prostate cancer than those in the lowest category (<2.2 g/day). Similar comparisons between categories showed reductions in risk for men in the highest intake categories for garlic (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.31 to 0.71; P(trend)<.001) and scallions (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.18 to 0.51; P(trend)<.001). The reduced risk of prostate cancer associated with allium vegetables was independent of body size, intake of other foods, and total calorie intake and was more pronounced for men with localized than with advanced prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-7234, USA. hsinga@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Ann W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Hsing
authors.forename: Anand P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Chokkalingam
authors.forename: Yu-Tang
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: M Patricia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Madigan
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gridley
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Fraumeni
mesh_terms: D000490:Allium; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D027782:Chive; D005737:Garlic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D016017:Odds Ratio; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D014675:Vegetables