10 proven facts about the health benefits and harms of garlic
Garlic has been used in medicine for 3,000 years. Its use has been documented by many major civilizations, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese.
Modern science has confirmed many of the beneficial health properties of garlic, known since ancient times. At the moment, the following positive effects on the human body have been proven: prevention of cancer and atherosclerosis, reduction of blood pressure, improvement of bone and liver function, prevention of "age-related" brain diseases.
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How it is useful — 10 facts
The 10 main advantages of garlic, scientifically proven, are discussed below.
1. Rich composition
Most of the benefits of garlic are due to the high content of sulfur compounds formed when grinding or chewing cloves. The most famous of which is allicin.
According to the data scientists from Germany, allicin is rapidly absorbed in the lumen of the digestive tract and spreads throughout the body, exerting many biological effects: from normalization of metabolism to prevention of malignant neoplasms.
It is important to note that allicin is an extremely unstable compound that is present mainly in fresh garlic and only for a short time after the clove has been crushed or crushed.
Garlic contains Many other valuable substances, vitamins and minerals. It also has a fairly high calorie content: 1 clove (about 6-8 grams) contains 42 calories.
2. Fighting infectious diseases
Garlic is powerful Immune system stimulator
.
According to experiment British scientists, its use for 12 weeks reduces the risk of acute respiratory infections by 63%.
According to the information experts from the USA, garlic also reduces the duration of infectious pathologies of the respiratory tract by 70%. During the study, it was found that eating vegetables together with the appearance of the first signs of a cold leads to a decrease in the duration of the disease from 5 to 1.5 days.
Garlic is able to inhibit the vital activity of a number of pathogenic microorganisms, which creates additional protection from harmful infectious agents of the external environment.
According to Russian scientists, the plant is even able to inhibit the reproduction of the human immunodeficiency virus.
3. Lowering blood pressure
Studies by Indian scientists demonstrate that garlic or supplements with it significantly lower elevated blood pressure in people suffering from hypertension. The biological effect is associated with the acceleration of the formation of nitric oxide, which dilates arterial vessels.
Similar data was received by scientists from Australia. They found that, on average, garlic reduces systolic blood pressure by 14% and diastolic blood pressure by 7-11%, provided that the plant is consumed on a regular basis for 12 weeks.
Surprisingly, a vegetable surpasses the effect of some medicinal antihypertensive drugs. For example, 0.6-1.5 mg of garlic extract act in the same way as the drug "Atenolol".
4. Correction of the lipid profile
Atherosclerosis is an extremely dangerous disease characterized by the deposition of cholesterol in the walls of arteries and leading to many serious pathologies: coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, chronic cerebral ischemia, etc.
Recent scientific studies show that garlic is a fairly effective remedy, lowering cholesterol levels in the blood.
According to the data American experts, the vegetable reduces total cholesterol, as well as the concentration of low-density lipoproteins (atherogenic fraction of cholesterol) by 10-15%.
In addition, according to the data Indian scientists, it reduces the blood content of triacylglycerides ("bad" cholesterol).
5. Brain protection
Free radical mechanisms lead to the destruction of cells throughout the body and cause its aging. Unfortunately, the brain is most susceptible to the effects of this pathological process.
Known that garlic contains many antioxidant substances (S-allylcysteine, S-allylmercaptocysteine, N (alpha) – fructosylarginine) that protect neurocytes from oxidative damage and reduce the risk of developing various "age-related" diseases of the central nervous system.
Proven that garlic reduces the likelihood of developing senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease, prevents the appearance of atrophic brain pathologies caused by ischemia due to vascular spasm (with high blood pressure) or their obstruction (thrombus or atherosclerotic plaque).
6. Reducing fatigue and improving performance
Garlic has been used since ancient times to reduce fatigue and increase physical and mental ability to work.
Marked that the use of garlic oil for 1.5 months leads to a decrease in the maximum heart rate during exercise by 12%, and also causes significant Improving overall performance .
Japanese scientists claim that the plant is a potential remedy for fatigue symptoms.
7. Detoxification effect
The high percentage of sulfur compounds in garlic protects the body's cells from exposure to toxic heavy metals.
The work of Iranian experts demonstrate that garlic is able to reduce the concentration of lead in the blood by 19% and reduce the severity of symptoms of poisoning with this toxic substance (headaches, increased blood pressure, changes in tendon reflexes).
The biological effect of the vegetable surpasses the effects of D-penicillamine, a medical drug used to eliminate the symptoms of poisoning.
8. Improving bone health
Rodent studies show
that garlic increases estrogen levels in women, and this, in turn, slows down age-related bone loss and prevents abnormalities such as osteoporosis and pathological bone fractures.
According to Iranian scientists, for Bone strengthening it is necessary to consume about 2 grams of raw garlic per day for at least 1 month.
Garlic also accelerates the regeneration of damaged areas of bone or joint tissue during osteoarthritis of any etiology.
9. Prevention of malignant neoplasms
Garlic is rich in antioxidant substances that protect all human cells from the effects of free radicals, toxic metabolic products and external factors.
Against the background of regular admission observed reducing the risk of colon and rectal cancer, oral cavity, and stomach.
10. Maintaining liver health
Sulfur compounds activate the enzymatic apparatus of the liver, responsible for the neutralization of toxic substances and their subsequent excretion from the body. This property has been described in detail studied
by scientists from Iran.
Garlic is also a means of preventing the development of toxic hepatitis caused by excessive alcohol consumption or prolonged exposure to heavy metal-contaminated air.
Safety, possible harm
Despite all the benefits, in some cases the use of garlic can be harmful to health. Do not use the plant if there are the following contraindications:
- Obesity. Garlic is a powerful stimulant of the hunger center. Within 1-3 hours from the moment of eating garlic, appetite increases significantly, which is fraught with excessive calorie intake and an increase in body weight due to fat deposits.
- Exacerbations of chronic or acute inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In the presence of active inflammation of the intestinal wall (gastritis, duodenitis, enteritis, colitis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum), garlic causes additional irritation and can worsen the course of pathologies or cause complications (bleeding, penetration or perforation of the walls of the digestive apparatus).
- Biliary dyskinesia of the hypermotor type. The plant increases muscle tone and increases the severity of symptoms.
- Any kidney pathology with signs of CKD. Garlic can provoke functional disorders of the renal filter and cause a critical increase in urea and creatinine in the blood .
- Allergic reactions. Garlic allergy is extremely rare and usually manifests itself in mild form (urticaria, allergic dermatitis).
The obvious disadvantage of eating garlic is bad breath, which can be eliminated if you eat garlic at the same time as:
- Taking a cup of strong coffee without milk;
- Chewing a slice of lemon or a sprig of parsley;
- Drinking milk with cinnamon or cardamom;
- By taking green tea with the addition of anise, myrrh or rosemary.
Use during pregnancy
On the one hand, garlic Boosts immunity (protection of the fetus and organs of the reproductive system of a woman from infectious and inflammatory diseases), improves uteroplacental blood flow, provides the body of the unborn child with a number of important vitamins and trace elements, on the other hand, it can provoke premature birth or miscarriage.
Therefore, garlic can be taken by pregnant women only in the first trimester. The recommended maximum daily dose is 1-2 cloves per day.
Answers to frequently asked questions
The basic rules and features of using garlic are discussed below.
- Which option should I give preference to? The best option is fresh garlic without heat treatment. Moreover, young garlic is more useful than old garlic, since it has the highest content of allicin. The content of vitamins and minerals in pickled garlic is reduced, and a number of antioxidants (including allicin) are almost completely lost. But dried garlic retains almost all macro- and microelements, vitamins, as well as allicin.
- Heat treatment. As mentioned above, fresh garlic is the most useful. Any heat treatment almost completely destroys allicin and causes a decrease in the concentration of other active substances. Only patients with a gastroenterological profile (during remission) should use oven-baked, boiled or stewed garlic. Fried garlic is not recommended to anyone.
- Daily allowance and admission rules. You can eat an average of 1-3 cloves of garlic per day, the maximum daily dosage is up to 5-6 cloves. Garlic can be eaten every day, scientific studies do not note significant side effects with regular use of recommended doses (1-6 cloves per day). Eating garlic on an empty stomach in the morning can provoke the development of diseases of the stomach and duodenum. Taking even one clove at night can cause a short-term overload of the digestive system and disrupt sleep (it is necessary to eat it no later than 1-2 hours before bedtime).
- Is it possible to swallow a whole clove? No! Swallowed whole garlic clove can cause local damage to the mucous membranes of the stomach and duodenum, as well as disrupt the work of the sphincters. In addition, the maximum concentration of allicin is observed precisely during chewing.
- Comparison with onions. Onions and garlic have almost the same set of useful properties, as they belong to the same genus. However, garlic is characterized by a more frequent formation of toxic by-products in the body.
- Applications of plant stems. Garlic feathers are rich in water and fiber , and also contain a large amount of vitamin C. It is recommended to use the stems in their pure form (without heat treatment) for maximum benefit.
- Application of tincture. Garlic tincture is usually prepared from cloves or garlic arrows and is used to enhance immunity (during epidemics of viral infections of the upper respiratory system), for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, as well as to improve the emotional background. Proven that alcohol tincture also has pronounced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
Conclusion
- Thus, garlic has a lot of advantages, which are confirmed by scientific research.
- Against the background of regular use, there is a decrease in the incidence of malignant neoplasms, as well as diseases from the cardiovascular, immune, musculoskeletal, digestive and central nervous systems.
- Caution is recommended due to the presence of contraindications and the possibility of side effects.
- With extreme caution, you should consume a vegetable during pregnancy.
