Garlic’s 11 Proven Health Benefits
“Let medicine be thy food, and food be thy medicine.” Those are the famous words of Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, who lived in ancient Greece. He used to prescribe garlic as a treatment for a number of ailments. Many of these good health impacts have now been proven by modern science. Here are 11 health benefits of garlic that are backed up by scientific evidence.
1. Garlic is high in compounds that have medicinal properties.
Garlic is a member of the Allium (onion) family of plants. It has a lot in common with onions, shallots, and leeks. Many important civilizations, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese, used it extensively. Allicin is an unstable chemical found in fresh garlic that is only present for a short time after it has been sliced or crushed. Diallyl disulfide and s-allyl cysteine are two more chemicals that may have a role in garlic’s health effects. Garlic’s sulphur components enter the body through the digestive tract and move throughout the body, where they exert their powerful biological effects.
2. Calories are scarce.
Garlic is extremely nutritious calorie for calorie.
Raw garlic cloves (3 grammes) contain the following nutrients:
- Manganese has a daily value of 2% manganese (DV)
- 2% of the daily value for vitamin B6
- Vitamin C: 1% of the Daily Value
- Selenium: 1% of the Daily Value
- 0.06 gramme fibre
Calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin B1 in adequate proportions. This has 4.5 calories, 0.2 grammes of protein, and 1 gramme of carbohydrates in it. Garlic includes trace levels of a number of other nutrients as well. It actually has a little bit of practically everything you’ll ever need.
3. Garlic can help with a variety of illnesses, including the common cold.
Garlic supplements have been shown to improve immune system performance. When compared to a placebo, a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% in a 12-week study. Cold symptoms were also decreased by 70% in the garlic group, from 5 days in the placebo group to only 1.5 days in the garlic group. Adding garlic to your diet, despite the absence of convincing proof, may be worth a try if you frequently get colds.
4. Garlic’s Active Compounds Can Lower Blood Pressure
The world’s leading killers are cardiovascular disorders such as heart attacks and strokes. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the leading causes of these disorders. To obtain the intended benefits, supplement doses must be fairly high. The amount required per day is approximately four garlic cloves.
5. Garlic Lowers Cholesterol Levels, Which May Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Garlic has the ability to reduce both total and LDL cholesterol. Garlic supplements appear to lower total and/or LDL cholesterol by roughly 10%–15% in people with high cholesterol. When it comes to LDL (or “bad”) and HDL (or “good”) cholesterol, garlic appears to lower LDL but has no consistent effect on HDL. Another established risk factor for heart disease is high triglyceride levels, however garlic appears to have little effect on triglyceride levels.
6. Garlic May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia by Containing Antioxidants.
The ageing process is aided by oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Garlic is high in antioxidants, which help the body’s natural defences against oxidative stress. Garlic supplements at high doses have been found to boost antioxidant enzymes in humans and lower oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure. The antioxidant qualities, as well as the combined impact on lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, may lessen the risk of major brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
7. Garlic Has the Potential to Help You Live a Longer Life
In humans, the effects of garlic on longevity are virtually impossible to confirm. Garlic, on the other hand, may help you live longer due to its favourable impact on critical risk factors including blood pressure. Its ability to combat infectious disease is also a significant issue, as infections are prevalent causes of death, particularly among the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
8. Garlic Supplements Could Help You Perform Better In Sports
One of the first “performance enhancing” drugs was garlic. It was commonly utilised in ancient cultures to alleviate weariness and increase labourers’ work ability. It was most famously awarded to Olympic competitors in ancient Greece. Garlic has been demonstrated to improve exercise performance in rodents, but there have been few human research. Garlic oil reduced peak heart rate by 12% and improved exercise capacity in those with heart disease who took it for 6 weeks. A study of nine competitive cyclists, on the other hand, found no performance gains. Garlic has also been shown to lessen exercise-induced weariness in other studies.
9. Garlic may aid in the detoxification of heavy metals in the body.
Garlic’s sulphur components have been demonstrated to protect against organ damage caused by heavy metal toxicity at large levels. Garlic lowered lead levels in the blood by 19% in a four-week study of personnel at a car battery plant (excessive exposure to lead). Many clinical symptoms of toxicity, such as headaches and high blood pressure, were also reduced. Even the medication D-penicillamine was outperformed by three dosages of garlic per day in lowering symptoms.
10. Garlic may help with bone health.
Garlic’s effects on bone loss have not been studied in humans. However, rodent studies have indicated that boosting oestrogen in females can reduce bone loss. A daily dose of dry garlic extract (equivalent to 2 grammes of raw garlic) dramatically reduced a marker of oestrogen insufficiency in menopausal women, according to one study. This indicates that this supplement may be good to women’s bone health. Garlic and onions, for example, may be helpful in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
11. Garlic Is Simple to Include in Your Diet and Tastes Amazing
The last one isn’t directly related to health, but it’s still significant. Garlic is simple to incorporate into your current diet (and delicious). It goes well with almost any savoury food, especially soups and sauces. Garlic’s strong flavour can also provide zing to otherwise dull dishes. Keep in mind, however, that garlic has some drawbacks, such as poor breath. It can also cause allergic reactions in some people. Using a garlic press to press a few cloves of fresh garlic, then mixing it with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, is a common technique to use garlic. This dressing is both nutritious and filling.
Garlic has been thought to have medicinal effects for thousands of years.
