Health Benefits of Garlic

Current research shows that garlic may have some real health benefits, such as protection against the common cold and the ability to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Scientists now know that most of garlic’s health benefits are due to the formation of sulfur compounds when you chop, crush, or chew a garlic clove.

Perhaps the most well-known compound is allicin. However, allicin is an unstable compound that is only briefly present in fresh garlic after you cut or crush it. Other compounds that may play a role in garlic’s health benefits include diallyl disulfide and s-allyl cysteine.

Garlic is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese. It also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients.

• Supplementation with garlic, particularly Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) has shown to be very useful in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
• Garlic and garlic supplements may help prevent and reduce the severity of illnesses like the flu and common cold.
• Allicin, a compound found in garlic stops the oxidizing of LDL (bad cholesterol). This reduces cholesterol levels and improves heart health.
• Garlic promotes brain health because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is effective against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
• Regular consumption of garlic reduces the incidence of blood clots and thus helps prevent thromboembolism.
• Eating garlic may 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 small 2015 study also noted that garlic supplements might increase oxygen capacity during exercise. But more research is needed to confirm this potential benefit.
• People who ate raw garlic at least twice a week during the 7 year study period had a 44 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study conducted at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China. Organo-sulfur compounds found in garlic have been identified as effective in destroying the cells in glioblastomas, a type of deadly brain tumor.
• A long-term study, involving more than 1,000 healthy female twins, found that those whose dietary habits included plenty of fruit and vegetables, “particularly alliums such as garlic,” had fewer signs of early osteoarthritis in the hip joint.
• Doctors at the Department of Urology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China, carried out a study evaluating the relationship between Allium vegetable consumption and prostate cancer risk. The study authors concluded, “Allium vegetables, especially garlic intake, are related to a decreased risk of prostate cancer.”
• Scientists at the Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Shandong University, China, wanted to determine whether diallyl disulfide (DADS), a garlic-derived organosulfur compound, might have protective effects against Alcohol(ethanol)-induced oxidative stress. The researchers concluded that DADS might help protect against ethanol-induced liver injury.
• One review of 18 studies concluded that garlic helped boost sperm production and increase levels of testosterone, which may be due to its antioxidant properties

Garlic is safe and healthy for most people. But if you’re taking blood thinners, talk with a doctor before drastically increasing your garlic intake.