London: Eating raw garlic twice a week can nearly halve the risk of developing lung cancer, even lowering the danger for smokers, a new study has claimed. Chinese researchers found that those who consumed raw garlic as part of their diet were 44 per cent less likely to suffer the disease.

The results, published online on Wednesday in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, showed those who ate raw garlic at least twice a week cut the risk of lung cancer by 44 per cent, even if they were exposed to high-temperature cooking-oil fumes, which is thought to be another trigger for the disease.

The herb even reduces the risk in smokers by 30 per cent, the research suggested. Previous research has suggested that the popular herb can ward off stomach cancer and colon cancer and a study at the University of South Australia suggested that it could reduce the risk of bowel tumours by nearly a third.

Scientists at the Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention carried out face-to-face interviews with 1,424 lung cancer patients with 4,500 healthy adults in China from 2003 to 2010. Each one was questioned on their dietary and lifestyle habits, including how often they consumed garlic and whether they smoked. The key ingredient appears to be a chemical called allicin, released when the clove is crushed or chopped. Allicin is believed to reduce inflammation in the body and act as an antioxidant, reducing damage from so-called free radicals to the body's cells.

However, it is not clear whether cooked garlic would have the same effect. "Garlic may potentially serve as a preventive agent for lung cancer," researchers said.