Benefits of Garlic – Eat Up
Garlic is pretty friggin delicious but it also has numerous health benefits minus warding off vampires. Check out our guest author’s take on the 12 amazing health benefits of garlic and how simply adding it to your diet can help you reap the rewards!
Check out our favorite benefits of garlic
Garlic tastes good and it is one of those things that you add to food to ramp up the flavor. Garlic has long been used for its medicinal benefits too. Modern science has actually confirmed many of the medicinal benefits of garlic.
In some ways adding garlic to your food can be like a supplement to dental insurance – it helps improve our health! Check out these health benefits of garlic below:
1. It has Allicin
Garlic contains a compound called allicin. Allicin has potent medicinal properties. Allicin enters the body through the digestive tract and travels all over the body.
Allicin is also what is responsible for the strong odor garlic has. As allicin decomposes in our digestive tract it creates a massive and efficient antioxidant effect that can improve our health in multiple ways!
2. It’s Nutritious
Garlic is highly nutritious, but it is extremely low in calories.
A one ounce serving of garlic contains 23% of the RDA of Manganese, 17% of the RDA of Vitamin B6, 15% of the RDA of Vitamin C, 6% of the RDA of Selenium and it contains 1 gram of fiber.
It also has a decent amount of calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and Vitamin B1.
3. Fights the Common Cold
When you take garlic as a supplement is known to boost the immune system. Studies have shown that garlic supplementation reduced the number of colds by 63 percent.
It also reduced the average length of cold symptoms significantly. Bottom line, taking garlic as a supplement can help prevent and reduce the severity of the flu and the common cold.
Studies have shown that garlic supplementation has a significant impact in reducing blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure. In fact, in some cases, it worked just as effectively as the drugs given for the condition.
Supplementation must be high to work…
5. Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Garlic contains an antioxidant that supports the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage. High doses of supplementation increase the antioxidant enzymes in humans. It has also been shown that it can significantly reduce oxidative stress in people with high blood pressure.
Because it reduces cholesterol and blood pressure along with its antioxidant properties it may help prevent common brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
6. Live Longer
It would be impossible to prove any effects garlic may have on longevity in humans. That being said, given its beneficial effects on things like blood pressure it makes sense that eating garlic can help you live longer.
It also fights infectious disease which is a common cause of death in the elderly.
7. Boost Athletic Performance
In ancient cultures garlic was used as a performance enhancing substance.
It was also used to reduce fatigue and enhance the work capacity of laborers. It was given to Olympic athletes in ancient Greece. Few human studies have been done to show the performance-enhancing effects of garlic, but animal studies show that it helps with exercise performance.
Studies have also shown that it helps exercise-induced fatigue.
8. Detoxify the Body
In high doses, the sulfur compounds in garlic have shown that they protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity. In one study, garlic showed that it significantly reduced lead toxicity and it also reduced the symptoms of lead toxicity.
In fact, three doses of garlic daily outperformed the drug normally given for symptom reduction.
9. Improve Bone Health
No human trials have studied the effects of garlic on bone health, but animal studies have shown some promise. A study in rodents showed that garlic can minimize bone loss by increasing estrogen in females.
Another study showed that a daily dose of garlic significantly decreased a marker for estrogen deficiency. This means that garlic may have a promising effect on bone health in women.
Garlic has also been shown it has a beneficial effect on osteoarthritis.
10. Reduce Inflammation
Garlic has anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have identified four sulphuric compounds in garlic that help cut inflammation. It may even help skin inflammation from conditions like psoriasis.
Try rubbing garlic directly on skin irritations to reap its anti-inflammatory benefits.
11. Prevent Food Poisoning
Garlic has anti-bacterial properties. Those properties may help kill bacteria in food that cause food poisoning like E.Coli. One study showed that garlic was an effective treatment for Campylobacter.
12. It’s Delicious
Okay, so it is not a health benefit, but it is important. Garlic complements almost any dish (in powder or clove form) with its strong flavor-boosting an otherwise bland recipe.
- 12 Garlic Health Benefits - August 10, 2015
- 15 Surprising Reasons for Eating Healthy But Gaining Weight - June 22, 2015
