The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, often called the “father of Western medicine,” actually used to prescribe garlic to treat a variety of medical conditions.
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, often called the “father of Western medicine,” actually used to prescribe garlic to treat a variety of medical conditions. Modern science has recently confirmed many of these beneficial health effects of garlic. Here are 11 health benefits of garlic that are supported by human research.
Garlic contains compounds with potent medicinal properties.
Garlic is a plant in the Allium (onion) family. It is closely related to onions, shallots, and leeks. Each segment of a garlic bulb is called a clove. There are about 10–20 cloves in a single bulb, give or take.
Garlic 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.
Scientists now know that most of its health benefits are caused by sulphur compounds formed when a garlic clove is chopped, crushed, or chewed.
Perhaps the most famous of those is known as allicin. However, allicin is an unstable compound that is only briefly present in fresh garlic after it’s been cut or crushed. Other compounds that may play a role in garlic’s health benefits include diallyl disulfide and s-allyl cysteine.
The sulphur compounds from garlic enter the body from the digestive tract and travel all over the body, where they exert their potent biological effects.
Garlic is highly nutritious but has very few calories.
One clove (3 grams) of raw garlic contains:
Manganese: 2% of the Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin B6: 2% of the DV
Vitamin C: 1% of the DV
Selenium: 1% of the DV
Fiber: 0.06 grams
Decent amounts of calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin B1:
This comes with 4.5 calories, 0.2 grams of protein and 1 gram of carbs. Garlic also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients. In fact, it contains a little bit of almost everything you need.
Garlic can combat sickness, including the common cold. Garlic supplements are 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 to a placebo.
The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days in the placebo group to just 1.5 days in the garlic group. Another study found that a high dose of aged garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) reduced the number of days sick with a cold or flu by 61%
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 supplements to have a significant impact on reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
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 supplements appear to reduce total and/or LDL cholesterol by about 10–15%.
Looking at LDL (the “bad”) and HDL (the “good”) cholesterol specifically, garlic appears to lower LDL but has no reliable effect on HDL. High triglyceride levels are another known risk factor for heart disease, but garlic seems to have no significant effect on triglyceride levels.
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.
High doses of garlic supplements have been shown to increase antioxidant enzymes in humans as well as significantly reduce oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure.
The combined effects on reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as the antioxidant properties, may reduce the risk of common brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
7. Garlic may help you live longer:
The potential effects of garlic 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 Might Be Improved With Garlic Supplements
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 given to Olympic athletes in ancient Greece.
Rodent studies have shown that garlic helps with exercise performance, but very few human studies have been done. People with heart disease who took garlic oil for 6 weeks had a 12% reduction in peak heart rate and better exercise capacity.
However, a study of nine competitive cyclists found no performance benefits Other studies suggest that exercise-induced fatigue may be reduced with garlic.
9. Eating garlic may help detoxify heavy metals in the body:
At high doses, the sulphur 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 exposed to excessive lead found that garlic reduced lead levels in the blood by 19%.
It also reduced many clinical signs of toxicity, including headaches and high blood pressure. Three doses of garlic each day even outperformed the drug D-penicillamine in reducing symptoms.
10. Garlic may improve bone health:
No human studies have measured the effects of garlic on bone loss. However, rodent studies have shown that it can minimise bone loss by increasing oestrogen in females.
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. This suggests that this supplement may have beneficial effects on bone health in women. Foods like garlic and onions may also have beneficial effects on osteoarthritis.
11. Garlic is easy to include in your diet and tastes absolutely delicious:
The last one is not a health benefit but is still important. Garlic is very easy (and delicious) to include in your current diet. It complements most savoury 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. 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, talk to your doctor before increasing your garlic intake.