Garlic Extract

Garlic

The 9 health benefits of garlic (+1 warning)

Garlic has been used as a flavoring for centuries, but it is also known for its strong medicinal properties.

In this article, you will read about the 9 health benefits of garlic that science has proven.

This is how garlic helps to clear plaque from the inside of your blood vessels and even has a detoxifying effect.

Read on quickly to find out the other reasons why garlic is healthy!

What is garlic?

Garlic is a plant from the allium family, another word for onions.

Garlic is closely related to vegetables such as onions, chives, and leeks.

If you peel a garlic, you discover that the bulb consists of small segments.

These are called 'cloves'. An average garlic bulb contains 10 to 20 cloves.

Garlic is used all over the world. It is a popular ingredient thanks to its strong aromatic smell and taste.

But garlic is not only popular in the kitchen. Garlic has a rich history and has been known for its medicinal properties for centuries.

Also, science is increasingly discovering that garlic is healthy and that its use offers health benefits.

Below you can read the nine strongest health benefits of garlic.

The 9 health benefits of garlic

1. Anti-inflammatory

The most well-known health benefit of garlic is probably its anti-inflammatory effect.

Knoflook contains a lot of allicin, a substance that can prevent, reduce, and even cure inflammation.

Here, however, is one 'but': only raw garlic has these anti-inflammatory properties.

When garlic is heated, for example in a frying pan, it loses the compound allicin.

Also, allicin breaks down quickly, so the sooner you eat the raw garlic, the better.

Regularly press a clove of raw garlic and incorporate it into a healthy dip such as hummus or homemade tzatziki (made from Greek yogurt and cucumber), or use it in a homemade salad dressing.

Summary: Raw garlic can prevent, reduce, and even cure inflammation.

2. Source of vitamins and minerals

Garlic contains so many beneficial nutrients per gram that it can truly be called a superfood.

This is the nutritional value of 100 grams of garlic:

Energy: 149 kcal (calories)
Manganese: 84% RDI
Vitamin B6: 62% NRV
Vitamin C: 52% RDA
Selenium: 20% RDA
Calcium: 18% NRV

Naturally, you usually don't use 100 grams of garlic, but only one or two cloves. This amounts to approximately 5-10 grams.

That is still a lot of nutrients for so few calories!

Summary: Knoflook contains various vitamins and minerals.

3. Prevents cholesterol buildup

Garlic can provide protection against cardiovascular diseases because it helps to keep your cholesterol at a healthy level.

Garlic lowers the bad LDL cholesterol in your blood. This bad cholesterol sticks to the walls of your blood vessels, causing them to narrow.

This can eventually cause blockages resulting in a heart attack.

From research, it appears that garlic can reduce cholesterol by 12%.

This may not seem like much, but an 8% reduction in cholesterol already leads to a 38% lower risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Summary: Garlic has a cholesterol-lowering effect.

4. Protects blood vessels against tears

Garlic lowers blood pressure and thereby prevents damage to your blood vessels.

If your blood pressure is too high, tiny tears can develop in the walls of your blood vessels.

These weak spots can become dangerous in the future because scar tissue forms and plaque can accumulate.

By regularly eating garlic, you can protect yourself against these dangers by maintaining a healthy vascular system for longer.

Summary: Garlic can help prevent damage to your blood vessels.

5. Less trouble with flu and colds

Garlic strengthens your immune system, making you less susceptible to the flu virus and colds.

Research showed that people who took a garlic supplement experienced 63% less cold symptoms than those who did not.

Whoever got garlic and still caught a cold recovered a full 70% faster.

Another study shows that garlic can also prevent you from getting the flu.

Summary: Garlic strengthens your immune system, making you less susceptible to flu and colds.

6. Garlic helps you detoxify

The bad breath you get from garlic is mainly due to the sulfur that garlic contains.

Don't worry: this is not dangerous. On the contrary. It actually has a detoxifying effect on your body.

Sulfur can protect your organs from damage because it binds to heavy metals.

And there is surprising research that provides evidence for this.

A study among people working in a car battery factory, where they were highly exposed to lead, showed that garlic caused a 19% reduction of lead in their blood.

It also reduced many symptoms of poisoning, such as headaches and high blood pressure.

Knoflook is so effective in detoxifying that this study showed that three servings of garlic worked even better against the symptoms than the drug D-penicillamine.

Summary: Garlic has a detoxifying effect.

7. Longer life with garlic

Although there are no studies in humans showing a link between garlic use and life expectancy, it is very likely that it can contribute to a long and healthy life. This is because garlic…

The health of your blood vessels can improve
Diseases and inflammations can help prevent and cure

This is a property that can especially help older people to protect themselves against diseases.

Summary: Garlic contributes to a healthy life.

8. Garlic improves your sports performance

The Ancient Greeks were convinced that garlic could improve athletic performance, and therefore fed it to the Olympic athletes of their time. A good idea, as scientists strongly suspect that garlic indeed enhances endurance.

Animal research on rats has shown that garlic has a positive effect on endurance.

Moreover, research among people with heart problems shows that they had a 12% lower peak heart rate after taking garlic oil for 6 weeks. As a result, they were able to sustain exercise for longer.

Summary: Scientists suspect that garlic improves endurance.

9. Garlic for stronger bones

The risk of bone loss, or osteoporosis, is greater in women after menopause.

This is because their estrogen levels change, and estrogen helps maintain healthy, strong bones.

Garlic can help protect your bones by maintaining estrogen levels.

In a study among postmenopausal women, it was found that garlic powder reduced the presence of substances in the blood that indicated an imbalanced estrogen level.

Although research did indeed find that oil from garlic counteracts osteoporosis.

Moreover, garlic (like onion) can reduce the risk of osteoarthritis.

Summary: From research, it appeared that the oil from garlic counteracts osteoporosis.

Warning:

too much garlic is not healthy for everyone

Generally, garlic is a healthy product with few side effects.

However, it is advisable for people who take blood thinners or are sensitive to onions to be cautious with garlic.

If you are taking blood thinners, we strongly recommend that you first contact your doctor before increasing your garlic intake.

Garlic has a blood-thinning effect and can enhance the effectiveness of your medications.

Garlic Extract

Garlic

The 9 health benefits of garlic (+1 warning)

Garlic has been used as a flavoring for centuries, but it is also known for its strong medicinal properties.

In this article, you will read about the 9 health benefits of garlic that science has proven.

Garlic helps to clear plaque from the inside of your blood vessels and even has a detoxifying effect.

Lees snel verder om erachter te komen wat de andere redenen zijn waarom knoflook gezond is!