Bladder diseases are common, with the American Cancer Society estimating that there were more than 69,000 new cases of bladder cancer in the United States in 2011. The ancient Egyptians used garlic to treat many diseases, including those of the urinary tract and cancer. Although garlic isn't a cure for such diseases, scientific research shows garlic may be a potent way to prevent and treat bladder conditions.
Garlic Benefits
Garlic, also known by its scientific name of Allium sativum, contains compounds that stimulate the immune system. Garlic also detoxifies chemical carcinogens and inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Although it's not entirely known how garlic accomplishes this, it may result from garlic's effects on certain enzymes, its antioxidant properties, or the sulfur compounds in garlic that bind to toxins.
Cancer of the Bladder
Scientists at the Robert C. Byrd Health Science Center at West Virginia University found garlic extracts were an effective treatment for bladder cancer in lab and animal models, in a review of studies published in the "Journal of Nutrition" in 2001. Although garlic injected directly into cancerous lesions shrank tumors, repeated injections were toxic and resulted in the death of 42 percent of treated mice. On the other hand, garlic added to drinking water significantly inhibited the growth of bladder cancer cells and improved survival rates without any adverse effects. A study in the "Journal of Urology" in April 2011, however, found that long-term use of garlic, as reported by patients in the Vitamins and Lifestyle Study, had no effect in preventing cancers of the urinary tract.
Drug-Induced Cystitis
Cyclophosphamide is a chemotherapy drug used to treat several types of cancers, including bladder cancer, but it can cause hemorrhagic cystitis, inflammation and bleeding inside the bladder. Researchers in India published study results in "Food and Chemical Toxicology" in 2008 that found garlic compounds had a significant effect in reducing hemorrhagic cystitis symptoms in mice being treated with cyclophosphamide. Protamine sulfate is a drug sometimes used to treat types of cystitis, but it can cause bladder damage on its own. A study in Turkey, published in "Urologica Internationalis" in 2006, discovered garlic extracts significantly prevented PS-induced degenerative changes to urinary bladder tissues.
Stress Damage
Stress can wreak havoc on your body in many ways, including causing tissue degeneration, inflammation and cell damage in several organs including the bladder. Research published in "BJU International" in 2006 induced stress in laboratory rats that led to bladder damage. After garlic extracts were injected into the rats, the bladder tissues returned to normal and lipid peroxidation cell damage was reversed.
References
- "The Urologic Clinics of North America"; The Potential Application of Allium Sativum (Garlic) for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer; D.L. L
- "BJU International"; An Aqueous Garlic Extract Alleviates Water Avoidance Stress-Induced Degeneration of the Urinary Bladder; B. Saglam, et al.; December 2006
- "Food and Chemical Toxicology"; Protective Effect of S-Allylcysteine Against Cyclophosphamide-Induced Bladder Hemorrhagic Cystitis in Mice; K. Bhatia, et al.; November 2008
- "Urologica Internationalis"; Aqueous Garlic Extract Inhibits Protamine Sulfate-Induced Bladder Damage; A. Zeybek, et al.; 2006
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Enhanced Immunocompetence by Garlic: Role in Bladder Cancer and Other Malignancies; Donald L. Lamm and Dale R. Riggs; 2001
- "Molecular Medicine Reports"; Identification of a Novel Function of Id-1 In Mediating the Anticancer Responses if SAMC, a Water-Soluble Garlic Derivative, in Human Bladder Cancer Cells; H. Hu, et al.
