Garlic is one of the common food ingredients in cooking tasty and delicious dishes. it is a plant in the Allium (onion) family.
Not only it helps to increase taste, but it has numerous health benefit also.
Each segments of garlic bulb is called a clove. There are about 10-20 cloves in a single bulb.
Garlic grows in many parts of the world and is a popular ingredient in cooking due to its strong smell and delicious taste.
Most of its health benefits are caused by sulfur compounds formed when a its clove is chopped, crushed or chewed.
Perhaps the most famous of those is known as allicin. Other compounds that may play a role in garlic’s health benefits include diallyldisulfide and s-allyl cysteine.
These compounds from garlic enter the body after digestion and exerts its potent biological effects.
Nutritious
Garlic is a rich source of Manganese, and vitamin C. Calorie value (42 calorie in one ounce) is less.
One ounce (28-gram) serving of garlic contains
- Manganese: 23% of the RDA
- Vitamin B6: 17% of the RDA
- Vitamin C: 15% of the RDA
- Selenium: 6% of the RDA
- Fiber: 0.6 grams
- 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 you need.
This comes with 42 calories, 1.8 grams of protein and 9 grams of carbs.
Garlic can combat sickness and from common cold
Garlic supplements are known to boost the function of the immune system.
Study shown garlic reduce number of cold attack by 63%.
The average length of sufferings also decrease by 70% from average 5 days to just 1.5 days.
Another study found that a high dose of aged garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) reduced the number of days sick with cold or flu by 61%.
Garlic Can Reduce Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most important drivers of cardiovascular disease. Which is now one of the common cause of death in te present world.
In one study, 600–1,500 mg of aged garlic extract was just as effective as the drug Atenolol at reducing blood pressure over a 24-week period. Atenolol is a antihypertensive drugs.
Supplement doses must be fairly high to have the desired effects. The amount needed is equivalent to about four cloves per day.
Control cholesterol and lower heart risk
Garlic can lower total and LDL cholesterol. There are many type of cholesterol in our body. Among them LDL cholesterol is most harmful and associated with increased incidence of heart disease.
For those with high cholesterol, garlic supplements appear to reduce total and/or LDL cholesterol by about 10–15%.
High triglyceride levels are another known risk factor for heart disease, but garlic seems to have no significant effects on triglyceride levels.
Antioxidants in garlic help in neurological disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Oxidative damage from free radicals contributes to the aging process.
Garlic contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage (Source).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11238796
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, (Link).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18463427
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.
Garlic May give you long life
The potential effects of garlic on longevity are impossible to prove in humans. However the beneficial effects on important risk factors like blood pressure, it makes sense that garlic could help to live longer
As 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.
Garlic supplement increase athletic performance
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 labour.
Report says it was given to Olympic athletes in ancient Greece.
People with heart disease who took garlic oil for 6 weeks had a 12% reduction in peak heart rate and better exercise capacity (View).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15881870
Other studies suggest that exercise-induced fatigue is reduced with garlic (Link).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17955479
Garlic May Help Detoxify Heavy Metals in the Body
At high doses, the sulphur compounds in garlic protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity.
A study found that it reduced lead levels in the blood by 19%. It also reduced many clinical signs of toxicity, including headaches and blood pressure (View).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22151785
Three doses of garlic each day even outperformed the drug D-penicillamine in reducing symptoms of lead poisoning.
Garlic May Improve Bone Health
No human studies have measured the effects of garlic on bone loss.
However study 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 (View).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21143861
Garlic Is Tastyand 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.
The strong taste of garlic can also add a punch to otherwise bland recipes.
You can use in several way. like whole cloves and smooth pastes to powders and supplements like garlic extract and oil.
Keep in Mind
Garlic may cause some drowsiness and bad breath. Some people may be allergic to it.
