Details: Category: Region 9; Published: 27 April 2022

Garlic What happens if you eat garlic regularly? Garlic has been used all over the world for thousands of years. It belongs to the Allium family and is closely related to the onion, scallion, chive, leek, and shallot. Garlic is used widely as a cooking ingredient due to its strong smell and delicious taste. However, throughout history, the primary use of garlic was for its medicinal and health benefits. It has been taken to prevent and treat a wide range of conditions and diseases.

Garlic is widely used to treat a variety of blood and heart-related conditions, including atherosclerosis (artery hardening), high cholesterol, heart attack, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Some people today also use garlic to prevent lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, rectal cancer, and colon cancer. However, only some of these uses are supported by research. According to a study conducted at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China, people who ate raw garlic at least twice a week during the 7 year study period had a 44 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer. The researchers also suggested that garlic may potentially serve as a chemo preventive agent for lung cancer.

Organo-sulfur compounds found in garlic are effective in destroying the cells in glioblastomas, a type of deadly brain tumor. This claim was supported by scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina in the journal Cancer that three pure organo-sulfur compounds from garlic – DAS, DADS, and DATS – “demonstrated efficacy in eradicating brain cancer cells, but DATS proved to be the most effective.” Moreover, women whose diet were rich in allium vegetables have lower levels of osteoarthritis as reported in King’s College London and the University of East Anglia, both in England. Examples of allium vegetables include garlic, leeks, shallots, onions, and rakkyo. Diallyl sulfide, a compound in garlic, was 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics in fighting the Campylobacter bacterium, according to a study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Other benefits include protection of the heart during cardiac surgery and after a heart attack, improves blood lipid profile, strengthening blood antioxidant potential, causing significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, decreasing the risk of prostate cancer, reducing preterm delivery risk, and decreasing the frequency of colds in adults. Garlic is delicious and simple to include in your current diet. It goes well with most savory dishes, especially soups, sauces, dressings, and more. Garlic's strong flavor can also add the food quality and taste. However, keep in mind that garlic has some drawbacks, such as bad breath. Some people are allergic to it as well. If you have a bleeding disorder or if you are taking blood thinners, consult your doctor before increasing your garlic consumption.

- PNFP Rowence F. Zorilla, RND

References:

1. What are the benefits of garlic?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265853