Nutrition

25 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic

Por Alan Costa, em 20/01/2018
Garlic

25 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic are diverse and very important for health. Besides that, Garlic is a natural antibiotic extremely effective for our health. It is an antimicrobial with beneficial effects to the heart and circulation, besides possessing antiseptic, diuretic and anti-fever properties.

It helps, for example, prevent colds and the progression of arteriosclerosis. Therefore, it is indicated in acute and chronic catarrhal diseases, such as bronchitis that make breathing difficult, tuberculosis and pneumonia.

If the garlic is prepared in the form of essence, it also helps to relieve the asthmatic states and works as a purifying blood. Applications of garlic-based preparations stimulate hair growth.

Garlic Nutrition Facts: World War I medical surgeons used the health benefits of garlic juice as an antiseptic for treating war wounds. It contains useful minerals such as phosphorous, calcium, and iron, as well as trace minerals like iodine, sulfur, and chlorine, which are also present in the cloves. In terms of organic compounds, it is one of the rare sources of allicin, allisatin 1, and 2. Then check out the 25 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic:

Benefits of Garlic to Reduce Fat Accumulation: One of the benefits of garlic to lose weight was proven in a study of rats in 2011. After 8 weeks of a fattening diet, rats given garlic at meal times were leaner. That is, the garlic helped to inhibit the formation of fat cells.

Benefits of Garlic Being Rich in Allicin: It is a plant of the Allium family, closely related to onions, shallots and leeks. It 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 it was for health and medicinal properties.

Its use was well documented by all the great civilizations, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese. We now know that most health effects are caused by one of the sulfur compounds formed when a clove of garlic is chopped, crushed or chewed.

This compound is known as allicin, and is also responsible for the odor of garlic. Allicin enters the body from the digestive tract and travels throughout the body, where it exerts its potent biological effects.

Benefits of Garlic for Being Microbial: For centuries, garlic has been cited as a useful agent to fight infectious diseases. In 1858, Louis Pasteur noted the antibacterial effect of allium against many fast-reproducing bacteria.

“These include Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Micrococcus, Bacillus subtulis, Clostridium, Mycobacterium, and Helicobacter.” Allicin, the active antibacterial compound in garlic, modifies the ability of bacteria to reproduce and prevents them from spreading.

One way to prevent E. coli in your cooking is by using raw garlic as a rub for all meats—the powerful antibiotic agent in garlic will kill those germs. The same can be done with salads – using raw garlic in dressings may save you from spoiled spinach or lettuce.

Benefits of Garlic to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease: Oxidative damage from free radicals contributes to the aging 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 help prevent common brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Benefits of Garlic to Improve Digestion: Daily inclusion of garlic in your diet aids in eliminating any digestive problems. The herb assists in the normal functioning of the intestines for good digestion. Even swelling or irritation of the gastric canal may be rectified with garlic as a treatment.

Benefits of Garlic to Avoid Cough and Sore Throat: Garlic is expectorant. So much so that our grandmothers were already making syrup with garlic and honey. It also has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal action.

Benefits of Garlic to Fight Diseases: Garlic helps improve the function of the immune system. A large 12-week study found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared to placebo.

The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days on placebo to only 1.5 days in the garlic consuming group. If you get cooled easily, adding garlic to your diet can be extremely helpful.

Benefits of Garlic to Control Diabetes: Garlic has shown its ability to help diabetics as well. Eating garlic has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels, potentially stop or decrease the effects of some diabetes complications, as well as fight infections, reduce LDL cholesterol and encourage circulation.

A study of diabetic rats showed that garlic may be very helpful at improving the overall health of diabetics, including the mitigation of common diabetic complications like atherosclerosis and nephropathy. These rats, which received a daily extract of raw garlic for seven weeks, significantly had lowered serum glucose (blood sugar level), cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Compared to the control group, the rats receiving raw garlic had 57 percent less serum glucose, 40 percent lower serum cholesterol levels and 35 percent lower triglycerides. In addition, urinary protein levels in garlic-treated rats were 50 percent lower.

Another study also showed that for type II diabetes patients, garlic significantly improved blood cholesterol levels. Specifically, garlic consumption reduced total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol and moderately raised HDL cholesterol compared to placebo. All of this shows how garlic benefits diabetics as part of a diabetic diet plan.

Benefits of Garlic by Being Rich in Antioxidants: Antioxidants work against the free radials that retard cells and cause ageing in the body. Toxin build-up directly influences diseases such as cardiovascular, degenerative, and cancer.

Aged garlic extract (AGE) is renowned for preventing the oxidation of the cells that makes them harmful. “AGE protects DNA against free radical–mediated damage and mutations, inhibits multistep carcinogenesis and defends against ionizing radiation and UV-induced damage, including protection against some forms of UV-induced immunosuppression.”

As a result, aged garlic extract is responsible for protecting the brain from memory loss, losing motor and neuron controls in the brain, and helping with longevity. The higher the dosage of AGE, the more antioxidants the body receives, thus diminishing stress. This works to stop degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, and cancer.

Garlic Benefits for Your Diet: The last one is not a health benefit, but still important. It is the fact that it is very easy (and delicious) to include garlic in your current diet. It complements most savory 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. The minimum effective dose for therapeutic effects is one clove eaten with meals, two or three times a day.

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, then talk to your doctor before increasing your garlic consumption.

The active compound allicin only forms when garlic is crushed or cleaved when it is raw. If you cook it before crushing it, then it won’t have the same health effects. Therefore, the best way to consume garlic is raw, or to crush and cut it and leave it out for a while before you add it to your recipes. My favorite way to use garlic is to press a few cloves of fresh garlic with a garlic press, then mix with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of salt. This a healthy and super satisfying dressing.

Garlic Benefits to Alleviate Ear Pain: Garlic is commonly used for curing earaches, as it has several antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic properties. Its oil can be made at home by squeezing the juice of its cloves and adding it to olive oil. The mixture should be kept at room temperature for a few days, but shouldn’t be saved indefinitely, if made at home.

Benefits of Garlic to Fight Bronchitis and Pneumonia: Another benefit of garlic is to fight infections with acute and chronic catarrh production, such as bronchitis, tuberculosis and pneumonia. It also helps to relieve asthmatic states because garlic is a bronchodilator.

Benefits of Garlic to Control Alopecia: A clinical trial was conducted to test what a survey has shown to be a growing practice in Turkey: using garlic to treat baldness. Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences researchers from Iran tested how garlic gel applied on the scalp twice a day for three months could affect people taking corticosteroids for alopecia.

Alopecia is a common autoimmune skin disease, causing hair loss on the scalp, face and sometimes on other areas of the body. Different treatments are currently available, but no cure is yet known. The researchers discovered that the use of garlic gel significantly added to the therapeutic efficacy of topical corticosteroid in the treatment of alopecia areata.

Although the study didn’t test it directly, applying garlic-infused coconut oil as a standalone treatment might even be more beneficial as a hair loss remedy because it mitigates the risk of absorbing harmful corticosteroids in the skin.

Garlic Benefits to Increase the Immune System: Consuming garlic is one way to give your immune system an extra boost. With high antioxidants, garlic helps to eliminate free radicals and sickness-causing toxins.

One 12-week study of 140 randomized volunteers confirmed that garlic (or allicin supplements) has an adverse effect on the common cold. In fact, colds were reduced by more than 60% in the volunteers who received garlic.

The other group that received a placebo recorded worse symptoms of the cold and had more complaints in their daily diary. The volunteers who received the garlic capsule had symptoms of a less severe degree for shorter amounts of time (1.5 days).

The volunteers receiving the placebo found that they had the cold for longer periods of time (5 days) and more frequently in the months of November to February – when the survey was conducted. A similar study reported that doubling the dosage of garlic reduced the number of sick days by another 61%.

If you want to avoid getting sick or decrease the severity of your sickness, add garlic to your diet or take a supplement capsule in order to fight the common cold or winter flu. During World War II, garlic was also employed to fight gangrene.

The boost in the immune system fights off infection and one of the methods used was the making of garlic tea: steeping chopped garlic in hot water. Raw garlic was also placed on wounds to stops the spread of infection.

Garlic Benefits to Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease: For those with high cholesterol, garlic supplementation appears 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. Garlic does not appear to lower triglyceride levels, another known risk factor for heart disease.

Garlic Benefits to Prevent Acne: Half the people in the world suffer from mild to severe forms of acne. Garlic may be used, along with other ingredients like honey, cream, and turmeric, to treat acne scars and prevent the initial development of acne. Garlic acts as a cleanser and an antibiotic substance for soothing skin rashes.

Garlic Benefits for Bone Health: No human trials have measured the effects of garlic on bone loss. However, rodent studies have shown that it can minimise bone loss by increasing estrogen 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 garlic may have beneficial effects on bone health in women.

Foods like garlic and onions have also been shown to have beneficial effects on osteoarthritis.

Benefits of Garlic to Fight Cancer: Cancer is the leading disease for Americans. Studies have shown that ingesting 5 grams of garlic every day blocks the excretion of nitropoline—an enzyme that helps to retard cancer cells.

One study claims: “Preclinical models provide rather compelling evidence that garlic and its associated components can lower the incidence of breast, colon, skin, uterine, esophagus, and lung cancers. Suppression of nitrosamine formation continues to surface as one of the most likely mechanisms by which garlic retards cancer.

Evidence has also supported garlic’s ability to inhibit tumors and other agents that are responsible for causing cancer. “Many studies have been conducted that show that garlic also provides various anti-tumor effects.

In rodents, garlic and its constituents have been reported to inhibit the development of chemically induced tumors in the liver colon, prostate, mammary gland, esophagus, lung, skin, and stomach. Such positive research has also included tumor cell growth inhibition and chemopreventive effects.”

Benefits of Garlic to Inhibit Appetite: Its smell stimulates the body to release a substance called leptin, which is responsible for satiety of the body and reducing hunger.

Garlic Benefits for Your Metabolism: The nervous system is the major communication network in the human body. Its normal functioning is strongly dependent on the maintenance of its structural integrity and many complex metabolic processes.

Neurological disease can be a result of malnutrition or mal-absorption, which then lead to bigger neurological problems. The central nervous system controls all bodily functions, degenerative diseases that affect the brain, the spine, and the spinal cord.

The neurodegenerative disorders include Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and more. While Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, one of the main culprits happens when the nervous system is overridden with bad cholesterol.

Garlic is now being used for its ability to lower cholesterol in smaller animals. “A number of studies have similarly shown that garlic and garlic preparations significantly reduced plasma lipids, especially total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in humans…

Animal studies have shown that supplementation of garlic in the diet depressed the hepatic activities of lipogenic and cholesterogenic enzymes.” Subjects with cardiovascular disease have shown positive results when taking even as little as 1g of garlic every day.

Benefits of Garlic to Combat the Cold: Garlic supplementation is 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 with placebo. The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days in placebo to just 1.5 days in the garlic group.

Another study found that a high dose of garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) can reduce the number of days sick with cold or flu by 61%. If you often get colds, then adding garlic to your diet could be incredibly helpful.

Garlic Benefits to Reduce Arterial Hypertension: Garlic is an herbal ingredient for curing high blood pressure. When exposed to high levels of pressure, the allicin present in it relaxes the blood vessels. It also fights against thrombosis by reducing platelet aggregation.

Benefits of Garlic to Increase Libido: Garlic has certain aphrodisiac properties, so this helpful herb can be utilized as an effectual sex rejuvenator. The health benefits of garlic are further known to enhance the libido of both men and women. People who overindulge in sexual activities should consume garlic in their diet or in supplemental form to protect themselves from nervous fatigue.

Benefits of Garlic to Help you Live Longer: Effects 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.

Garlic Benefits to Increase Estrogen: As women get older, they often have to bear in mind the loss of calcium and possibility of osteoporosis. Studies on mice have shown that there is a correlation between calcium and osteoporosis.

However, rodent studies have also shown that garlic can minimize bone loss by increasing estrogen in females. As women experience menopause, their estrogen levels drop, which leads to a reduction in calcium absorption.

But another study had women receive a dry garlic capsule at the equivalence of 2g of fresh garlic. The results showed that there was less of a reduction in the women’s estrogen loss. As a consequence, there were positive benefits for bone health.

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