THE HEALTH AND FITNESS BLOG

 

May 28, 2022 – By Dr. Haider Khalid

Garlic has been an essential element of traditional medicine. Many use it as a remedy to treat several health problems. Now modern science has also acknowledged these health effects.

In this article, you will learn about several of the health benefits and potential side effects of eating raw garlic. Moreover, you will know how much daily garlic consumption is safe for you by the end of this article.

8 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic

Have you heard the famous saying of Hippocrates? “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” It answers the question of what human health is all about. If you eat healthy food, you are more likely to live longer.

One of the food components that can help you achieve ideal health is garlic. Here in this article, you will learn about eight proven health benefits of garlic.

Protect Against Common Cold

Garlic is well-known for its effect on boosting immune response. In a clinical study, people who used garlic supplements for 12 weeks reported fewer cases of the common cold ⁽¹⁾. Therefore, it is preferable to use it in mild illnesses such as the common cold to better fight the disease.

Help to Control High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure increases your likelihood of life-threatening conditions like heart attack and stroke ⁽²⁾. Therefore, you need to have tight control of your blood pressure. You can also use garlic for this purpose. According to research, the effects of garlic in reducing blood pressure are somewhat similar to first-line medications for hypertension ⁽³⁾.

Improve Heart Health

Heart health is related to the state of blood vessels. High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol damage the blood vessels and heart. According to one study, garlic reduces blood pressure ⁽³⁾.

Research also indicates that garlic reduces the concentration of total cholesterol in the blood ⁽⁴⁾. The combined effects of garlic on blood pressure and blood cholesterol improve heart health.

Acts as an Antioxidant

Oxidative free radicals are potentially damaging to the human body. They contribute to aging and devastating conditions like cancer. Hence, it would be best to take proper actions against them. One of the food components that can help you is garlic.

Garlic contains antioxidants that prevent damage caused by these free radicals ⁽⁵⁾. Garlic also enhances the functioning of antioxidant enzymes in the body ⁽⁶⁾. By reducing free radical formation, garlic prevents damage to the brain.

Enhance Athletic Performance

Do you know that garlic as a performance-enhancing agent dates back to the era of ancient Greece ⁽⁷⁾? There is also scientific evidence supporting the idea of using garlic to enhance performance in athletes.

Moreover, one study indicates less exercise-induced fatigue in individuals who consume raw garlic daily ⁽⁸⁾. However, more studies are required to develop a factual statement related to this information.

Improves Bone Health

The role of garlic in improving bone health is related more to females. Raw garlic extracts cover estrogen deficiency-induced bone damage in post-menopausal women ⁽⁹⁾. Additionally, eating raw garlic and onion is also helpful in reducing inflammatory joint diseases like osteoarthritis ⁽¹⁰⁾.

Acts against Heavy Metals

Garlic contains compounds that bind with heavy metals and prevent organ damage. According to research conducted on battery workers in 2011, eating raw garlic decreased lead concentrations in the blood by 19% ⁽¹¹⁾. Moreover, experts also say that eating garlic is even better than certain medications used to treat heavy metal poisoning.

Enhance Male Fertility

Men who have erectile dysfunction can also get benefit from eating garlic. Garlic increases nitric oxide in the blood ⁽¹²⁾. It is a compound that dilates the blood vessels and increases the blood flow, which helps manage erectile dysfunction ⁽¹³⁾.

Furthermore, garlic also enhances testosterone production in males ⁽¹⁴⁾. This particular effect helps in improving male fertility.

What Happens If You Consume Too Much Garlic?

Although garlic provides you with numerous benefits, everything comes with a price. Overeating garlic can lead to some side effects. A few important ones are mentioned in the text below.

Bad Breath

One of the significant concerns among those who consume a large amount of garlic is bad breath. This is particularly true for those who eat raw garlic. Cooking can remove much of the smell of the garlic. However, cooking also destroys the sulfur compounds of garlic that are responsible for much of each health effect.

Thus you have to deal with bad breath to achieve those health benefits. However, you can use certain home remedies to get rid of the breath.

Stomach Issues

Garlic contains a particular type of carbohydrate, fructans. It is likely to increase the chances of bloating, gas, and pain in the stomach ⁽¹⁵⁾. Therefore, people with GERD should avoid eating raw garlic. It can cause heartburn in such patients. Moreover, people with stomach problems should also avoid eating garlic on empty stomachs in the morning.

High Risk of Bleeding

If you are taking blood-thinning medications along with garlic, you are more likely to suffer from bleeding ⁽¹⁶⁾. Thus it would be best to consult with your doctor first before starting to eat raw garlic daily.

How Much Should You Use Daily?

There are no recommended guidelines that fix the daily dosage of garlic. But studies prove that eating 1 to 2 cloves is enough to achieve all of its health effects ⁽¹⁷⁾. 1 to 2 cloves make around 3 to 6 gm of garlic.

If you experience any side effects, lowering the daily dose is recommended. Moreover, if you have any previous health condition, it’s better to first consult with the health care provider.

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