12 Health Benefits Of Garlic

History & Use

Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world and has been grown for over 5000 years.¹  Garlic is part of the allium family, which includes onions, leeks, and shallots. Garlic is grown all throughout the world and is a popular cooking ingredient used in many modern dishes as well as cuisines from many cultures. Throughout history², garlic has been used for medicinal purposes, as well as a prominent spice in the diets of many cultures. Many of the health benefits in garlic are mainly due to a sulfurous compound called allicin, which becomes active when a garlic clove is chopped or crushed. Garlic is also low in calories and high vitamins and minerals like C, B6, B1, Manganese, Copper, Selenium, Phosphorus, and Calcium³.

Why you should include garlic in your diet every day:

1. Garlic is an anti-fatigue agent and promotes exercise endurance⁴.
2. Garlic gives a boost to the immune system. A 12-week study⁵ found that daily garlic supplementation reduced the number of colds by 63% compared with a placebo and the average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%.
3. Garlic is associated with an overall lower risk of preterm delivery of infants, according to the Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health⁶. This is due to the effects of garlic on microbial infections which can cause preterm delivery.
4. The sulfur compound in garlic, allicin,  has been shown to protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity (lead poisoning)⁷.
5. Garlic is an anti-inflammatory agent and could be beneficial for acne⁸ and psoriasis.
6. Allium vegetables, such as garlic, are related to a decreased risk of prostate cancer⁹, although more studies are needed to prove these findings without a doubt.
7. Garlic can lower blood pressure and total cholesterol¹⁰ (including LDL- the bad cholesterol).
8. Garlic oil may help protect the heart from diabetes-induced myopathy¹¹ as well as protecting the heart during surgery¹².
9. Ingesting raw garlic may lower the risk of developing lung cancer¹³.
10. Vegetables rich in allium (like garlic!) support healthier hip and bones¹⁴– reducing the instances of osteoarthritis.
11. Garlic compounds can be more effective than antibiotics¹⁵ in treating some illnesses.
12. Garlic has the ability help you loose weight by increaseing thermogenesis, as well as decreasing the expression of several genes involved in adipogenesis¹⁶. (the creation of new fat tissue).

There are so many great reasons to add garlic to your daily diet.  Also if you don’t like the taste of garlic, or don’t want your date to be chased off by your garlic breath, you can get it in a tablet form both odor free or not.

Sources

1. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60
2. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/3/951S.abstract
3. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17955479
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11697022
6. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/143/7/1100.abstract
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22151785
8. http://www.livestrong.com/article/100740-adult-acne-garlic/
9. http://www.apocpcontrol.org/page/apjcp_issues_view.php?pno=4695&gubun=p&s_search=&s_paper_vol=&s_number33=
10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23590705
11. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/203059.php
12. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237839.php
13. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264599.php
14. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/211915.php
15. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/244866.php
16. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21918057