Benefits of Garlic

       Benefits of Garlic

Garlic is a small vegetable, known as Allium sativum. It has been around for centuries and grown for over 5,000 years. It is native to central Asia, but the ancient Egyptians may have been the first the cultivate this herb. It has been used both for culinary purposes due to its aromatic, pungent but slightly sweet taste, as well as for its highly beneficial medicinal properties. Garlic is rich in a variety of powerful sulfur-containing compounds including thiosulfinates (the most important being allicin), sulfoxides (alliin being the most important) and dithiins (of which ajoene is the most researched). These sulfur compounds are not only what gives garlic is taste, but are also responsible for its many health benefits. So let's get to its advantages.

Cardiovascular and High Blood Pressure

People who suffer from high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases can find some help in consuming garlic. Although most of the research has been done on garlic powder, garlic oil and garlic extracts, there is no doubt that garlic has cardioprotective properties. It has been shown to lower blood triglycerides and total cholesterol by atleast 15%. The two most important compounds that are found to have these cardioprotective properties are alliin and allicin, among a list of 14 other sulfur-containing compounds. For high blood pressure, the allicin found in garlic blocks angiotensin II which is a small protein and helps our blood vessels to contract. But when the vessels are contracted, blood is forced to pass through a smaller space and the pressure rises. Garlic is also rich in ppolusulfides which further supports the blood pressure. In addition, garlic helps prevent blood vessels from becoming blocked, in other words prevents clots from forming inside of the blood vessels. This particular property has been associated with the ajoene found in garlic. Garlic is also rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, selenium and manganese which all have beneficial cardiovascular effects. The vitamin C is the body's primary antioxdiant defender, and it protects LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) from forming in the blood stream. Vitamin B6 reduces levels of homocysteine, which can directly damage blood vessel walls. The selenium in garlic also plays a role in antioxidant properties. Manganese is found to increase levels of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) as well as aid in antioxidant effects. 

Anti-inflammatory

Those who have musculoskeletal and respirator problems, such as asthma and arthritis, may benefti from eating garlic. Garlic contains diallyl sulfide and thiacremonone, both of which have been shown to have anti-arthritic properties. In addition to 1,2-vinyldithiin (1,2-DT), these have been shown to inhibit the inflammatory messengers that get activated during an inflammation response. 

Prevent Weight Gain

The 1,2-DT has also been shown to change the way fat cells in the body are made. Fat cells go through a process of converting from preadipocytes to adipocytes, which are the full formed fat cells. The 1,2-DT decreases this conversion. 

Antibacterial and Antiviral

It has been shown that garlic can help regulate the body's response to an infection, particularly with infections that have become resistant to prescription antibiotics. Ajoene is the most responsible compound for this 

Cancer Prevention 

Research has shown that garlic has important anti-cancer properties. A high intake of garlic, has been found to lower the risk of all cancer types except prostate cancer and breast cancer. Moderate intake of garlic has been shown to lower the risk of colorectal and renal cancers. Consuming high amounts of garlic is understood to maximize the beneficial anti-cancer properties of garlic. 

Iron Metabolism

Recent research has been found that garlic can improve the metabolism of iron. When iron is stored in cells, it involves a protein called ferroportin to move out of the cell and back into circulation. Garlic can increase the body's production of ferroportin, thus allowing iron to remain in circulation. 

Other Benefits

Garlic is also useful against colds due to its anti-oxidant properties. Adding garlic to your diet can improve your symptoms and help get the cold out of your system. Garlic has naturally helps in the production of insulin in the body, so it is great for diabeteics to control their blood sugar levels. Due to its anti-inflammatory nature, garlic can also treat psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin disease with symptoms of red, scaly patches that ususally itch. Rubbing garlic on skin that's affected can help reduce symptoms, but only if used often enough. 

1. Garlic Contains a Compound Called Allicin, Which Has Potent Medicinal Properties

Garlic is a plant in the Allium (onion) family.

It is closely related to onions, shallots and leeks.

It grows in many parts of the world and is a popular ingredient in cooking due to its strong smell and delicious taste.

However, throughout ancient history, the main use of garlic was for its health and medicinal properties (1).

Its use was well documented by all the major civilizations… including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and the Chinese (2).

This is what garlic looks like:

The entire “head” is called a garlic bulb, while each segment is called a clove. There are about 10-20 cloves in a single bulb, give or take.

We now know that most of the health effects are caused by one of the sulfur compounds formed when a garlic clove is chopped, crushed or chewed.

This compound is known as allicin, and is also responsible for the distinct garlic smell.

Allicin enters the body from the digestive tract and travels all over the body, where it exerts its potent biological effects (which we’ll get to in a bit).

“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

Those are famous words from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, often called the father of Western medicine.

He actually used to prescribe garlic to treat a variety of medical conditions.

Well… modern science has recently confirmed many of these beneficial health effects.

Here are 11 health benefits of garlic that are supported by human research studies.

2. Garlic Is Highly Nutritious, But Has Very Few Calories

Calorie for calorie, garlic is incredibly nutritious.

A 1 ounce (28 grams) serving of garlic contains (3):

• Manganese: 23% of the RDA.
• Vitamin B6: 17% of the RDA.
• Vitamin C: 15% of the RDA.
• Selenium: 6% of the RDA.
• Fiber: 1 gram.
• Decent amounts of Calcium, Copper, Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron and Vitamin B1.

Garlic also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients. In fact, it contains a little bit of almost everything we need.

This is coming with 42 calories, with 1.8 grams of protein and 9 grams of carbs.

3. Garlic Can Combat Sickness, Including the Common Cold

Garlic supplementation is known to boost the function of the immune system.

One large 12-week study found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared with placebo (4).

The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days in placebo to just 1.5 days in the garlic group.

Another study found that a high dose of garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) can reduce the number of days sick with cold or flu by 61% (5).

If you often get colds, then adding garlic to your diet could be incredibly helpful.

4. The Active Compounds in Garlic Can Reduce Blood Pressure

Cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes are the world’s biggest killers.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most important drivers of these diseases.

Human studies have found garlic supplementation to have a significant impact on reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure (6, 7, 8).

In one study, aged garlic extract at doses of 600-1,500 mg was just as effective as the drug Atenolol at reducing blood pressure over a 24 week period (9).

Supplement doses must be fairly high to have these desired effects. The amount of allicin needed is equivalent to about four cloves of garlic per day.

5. Garlic Improves Cholesterol Levels, Which May Lower The Risk of Heart Disease

Garlic can lower Total and LDL cholesterol.

For those with high cholesterol, garlic supplementation appears to reduce total and/or LDL cholesterol by about 10-15% (10, 11, 12).

Looking at LDL (the “bad”) and HDL (the “good”) cholesterol specifically, garlic appears to lower LDL but has no reliable effect on HDL (6, 7, 13, 14, 15).

Garlic does not appear to lower triglyceride levels, another known risk factor for heart disease (10, 12).
 

6. Garlic Contains Antioxidants That May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

Oxidative damage from free radicals contributes to the ageing process.

Garlic contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage (16) .

High doses of garlic supplementation have been shown to increase antioxidant enzymes in humans (5, 17), as well as significantly reduce oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure (6).

The combined effects on reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as the antioxidant properties, may help prevent common brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia (17, 18).

7. Garlic May Help You Live Longer

Effects on longevity are basically impossible to prove in humans.

But given the beneficial effects on important risk factors like blood pressure, it makes sense that garlic could help you live longer.

The fact that it can fight infectious disease is also an important factor, because these are common causes of death, especially in the elderly or people with dysfunctional immune systems.

8. Athletic Performance Can be Improved With Garlic Supplementation

Garlic was one of the earliest “performance enhancing” substances.

It was traditionally used in ancient cultures to reduce fatigue and enhance the work capacity of labourers.

Most notably, it was administered to Olympic athletes in ancient Greece (19).

Rodent studies have shown that garlic helps with exercise performance, but very few human studies have been done.

Subjects with heart disease that took garlic oil for 6 weeks had a reduction in peak heart rate of 12% and improved their exercise capacity (20).

However, a study on nine competitive cyclists found no performance benefits (21).

Other studies suggest that exercise-induced fatigue may be reduced with garlic (2).

9. Eating Garlic Can Help Detoxify Heavy Metals in the Body

At high doses, the sulfur compounds in garlic have been shown to protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity.

A four week study in employees of a car battery plant (excessive exposure to lead) found that garlic reduced lead levels in the blood by 19%. It also reduced many clinical signs of toxicity, including headaches and blood pressure (22).

Three doses of garlic each day even outperformed the drug D-penicillamine in symptom reduction.

10. Garlic May Improve Bone Health

No human trials have measured the effects of garlic on bone loss.

However, rodent studies have shown that it can minimise bone loss by increasing estrogen in females (23, 24, 25, 26).

One study in menopausal women found that a daily dose of dry garlic extract (equal to 2 grams of raw garlic) significantly decreased a marker of estrogen deficiency (27).

This suggests that this garlic may have beneficial effects on bone health in women.

Foods like garlic and onions have also been shown to have beneficial effects on osteoarthritis (28).

Bottom Line: Garlic appears to have some benefits for bone health by increasing estrogen levels in females, but more human studies are needed.

11. Garlic Is Easy to Include In Your Diet and Tastes Absolutely Delicious

The last one is not a health benefit, but still important.

It is the fact that it is very easy (and delicious) to include garlic in your current diet.

It complements most savory dishes, particularly soups and sauces. The strong taste of garlic can also add a punch to otherwise bland recipes.

Garlic comes in several forms, from whole cloves and smooth pastes to powders and supplements like garlic extract and garlic oil.

The minimum effective dose for therapeutic effects is one clove eaten with meals, two or three times a day.

However, keep in mind that there are some downsides to garlic, such as bad breath. There are also some people who are allergic to it.

If you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood thinning medications, then talk to your doctor before increasing your garlic consumption.

The active compound allicin only forms when garlic is crushed or cleaved when it is raw. If you cook it before crushing it, then it won’t have the same health effects.

Therefore, the best way to consume garlic is raw, or to crush and cut it and leave it out for a while before you add it to your recipes.

My favorite way to use garlic is to press a few cloves of fresh garlic with a garlic press, then mix with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of salt. This a healthy and super satisfying dressing.

-------------------OUTSIDE SOURCE---------
Health Info & Remedies
Join Free and Earn Instantly
Veianet Online Store
Garden and Recipes
My Lot