Objective: The fourth most common cancer, which is the second cause of death throughout the world, is gastric cancer. Different factors such as the environment and genetics may contribute to its etiology. One of the most recommended approaches to gastric cancer prevention is the consumption of allium vegetables and garlic, as a member of this family, was considerable from ancient times to treat various disorders. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prognostic effect of garlic on gastric cancer.

Materials and Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, we searched for reports on the effect of garlic on gastric cancer prognosis to identify eligible studies up to June 30, 2018, in databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google-Scholar. Heterogeneities were assessed using I-square test. Prevalence and CI 95% were calculated using a fixed effects model. STATA version 13.1 software was used for all statistical analysis.

Results: Of the 115 studies found, five studies involving 16013 patients were included in our meta-analysis. Pooled analysis indicated a significant relation (p=0.007) between garlic intake and gastric cancer mortality. Moreover, the analysis showed that mortality risk among patients with garlic intake was 4% less than other patients and hazard ratio in patients with gastric cancer who took garlic was 46% less than the control group.

Conclusions: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we found that the garlic intake in high doses could have a reducing effect on gastric cancer mortality. Hence, due to the efficacy of garlic consumption, its affordable status and no proven side effects, it is recommended to be used as part of our daily meal.