Belonging to the onion family, garlic is a vegetable that’s an essential ingredient in many different cuisines across the globe. While it’s often cooked within a dish, it can also be eaten raw; provided the bulbs have been properly prepared.
As well as being a tasty addition to many meals, garlic has also been used medicinally for years. Throughout history, it’s served lots of different purposes in the world of medicine, with the vegetable being most commonly used to help treat infections, as well as being recommended in Ancient Chinese medicine to support respiratory and digestive health.
It’s also been cited that garlic was used during both World Wars as an antiseptic for soldiers on the battlefields to treat wounds. While antiseptic medicine has developed somewhat since the early 1900s, modern research suggests that garlic still has lots of uses when it comes to maintaining sound health.
This small yet hardy crop packs a flavorsome punch and can bring a dish to life. But there are many more benefits to using garlic in your cooking beyond its powerful taste. In this short guide, we’ll explore some of the positive health effects of adding garlic to your diet and discuss how you can maximize some of these benefits.
What are the benefits?
A boost to the immune system
One of the most handy benefits to consuming garlic is it can help to boost the immune system, fighting against common cold and flu symptoms. One of the main active ingredients in garlic is allicin; an organosulfur compound which is believed to be responsible for many of the vegetable’s health benefits. While this ingredient is accountable for garlic’s distinctive lingering smell, it also has sulfur-containing compounds that can help our white blood cells to fight diseases and viruses — including the common cold.
It’s generally thought that eating more garlic not only helps to reduce the severity of cold and flu symptoms, but it could also reduce the risk of contracting a virus in the first place.
Reduced risk of some cancers
Flavonoids are a natural substance which are commonly found in everyday foods like fruits, vegetables and grains. They are just one of several biologically active phytomolecules that naturally occur in garlic and have the potential to slow the growth of cancer cells.
Epidemiological studies have looked to establish a connection between increased flavonoid intake and a reduction in cancer risk. There are several different cancer types which have responded positively to a higher intake during these studies, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer.
It’s important to note that the total flavonoid content found in garlic can be drastically different before and after cooking. High temperatures can significantly reduce the amount of flavonoids within the vegetable, meaning that if garlic does have cancer-fighting properties, they will likely be diminished when cooked as part of a dish.
Reducing cholesterol levels
Garlic is especially beneficial when used as a replacement for other foods higher in calories and fats which can adversely affect cholesterol levels, such as butter. Gently cooking whole garlic cloves and using it instead of butter to spread on bread is one example of how garlic can be used as an alternative to more unhealthy options.
Among its many other health benefits, allicin, the substance found in raw garlic, has been linked to a reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. In fact, eating just one clove of garlic each day can help to reduce cholesterol levels by as much as 10%, some research suggests. However, as we found with flavonoids, the impact that garlic has on our cholesterol levels largely depends on how it’s prepared; cooking garlic will reduce the allicin content, diminishing these health benefits.
Slowing atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis, sometimes referred to as “hardening of the arteries”, occurs due to the buildup of plaque in the arteries over time and is often an unpleasant consequence of high cholesterol levels. If nothing is done to treat atherosclerosis, it can result in some serious and potentially fatal health complications, including heart attacks and stroke.
Lots of different supplements can be used to help reduce plaque accumulation within the arteries, with garlic extract being one of the most commonly cited. The combination of aged garlic extract and coenzyme Q10 — a nutrient naturally found in the body — can slow the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and reduce soft plaque. This is believed to be due to the way in which the organosulfur compounds in garlic react with the lipids found in our arteries.
Managing hypertension
The cardiovascular benefits associated with consuming more garlic are believed to go beyond managing cholesterol levels.
For people living with high blood pressure, it’s important to address your diet and lifestyle as a whole. However, garlic may have a small part to play in helping to regulate blood pressure as part of a healthy diet. Due to the complex nature of the human diet, it’s difficult for researchers to find conclusive evidence that garlic consumption is inherently linked to easing hypertension. However, as with many other benefits we’ve already discussed, it’s generally believed that the sulfur content found in garlic is likely to be the key driving force behind any benefits the vegetable has on high blood pressure levels.
Garlic can also act as a healthier alternative to foods high in salt. Consuming too much salt is the leading cause of high blood pressure, so finding healthier alternatives is key to managing this important aspect of our health. Where suitable, try using garlic as an alternative added flavoring to dishes instead of salt, to help reduce the sodium content in your diet.
How to maximize the benefits
Different types of garlic offer different health benefits. For example, black garlic which has been aged is generally thought to have enhanced benefits to our health — garlic powder and garlic supplements are also particularly effective.
It’s also important to consider the way in which we prepare it. Many of the compounds and ingredients found in garlic are affected by high temperatures and will provide fewer advantages to our health after being cooked. As such, raw garlic is likely to be more beneficial, since it will contain higher levels of allicin in this form.
However, there are some potential side effects to upping your intake of raw garlic. For instance, it’s been linked to heartburn and irritation of the digestive tract. Garlic in this form can also agitate existing conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease; it’s always advisable to consult your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet. Away from the health considerations, raw garlic has a more overpowering taste which can be unpleasant to eat.
While the humble garlic will not be the remedy to all of your medical concerns, it could have a small part to play in managing some of these key aspects to a healthy lifestyle. So whether you’re looking to help give your immune system a boost or promote better heart health, try making garlic a staple part of your diet.