Garlic may cut arsenic poisoning risk

An animal study conducted at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Kolkata has provided evidence that garlic helps fight arsenic poisoning, which is usually caused due to contamination of drinking water.

London, January 15 : An animal study conducted at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Kolkata has provided evidence that garlic helps fight arsenic poisoning, which is usually caused due to contamination of drinking water.

Lead researcher Keya Chaudhuri believes that her team's findings may provide some relief to millions of people in India and Bangladesh, where cases of arsenic poisoning often surface.

During the course of study, rats were administered daily doses of arsenic in water, equivalent to the levels found in groundwater in Bangladesh and West Bengal.

It was found that rats who were also given garlic extracts had 40 per cent less arsenic in their blood and liver, and passed 45 per cent more arsenic in their urine.

Keya says that garlic comprises of sulphur-containing substances, which scavenge arsenic from tissues and blood, reports New Scientist magazine.

For the inhabitants of at-risk areas, she suggests that people eat one to three cloves of garlic per day as a preventative.

ANI