Garlic; Nutritional Value, Ingredient, Health Benefit of Garlic 

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to Central Asia and northeastern Iran, and has long been a common seasoning worldwide, with a history of several thousand years of human consumption and use. It was known to ancient Egyptians, and has been used both as a food flavoring and as a traditional medicine. China produces some 80% of the world supply of garlic.

Nutritional Value of Garlic

Nutritional Profile / Ingredient of Garlic

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, here is an in-depth nutritional profile for Garlic. This profile includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Health Benefit of Garlic

• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). As people age, their arteries tend to lose their ability to stretch and flex. Garlic seems to reduce this effect. Taking a specific garlic powder supplement (Allicor, INAT-Farma, Moscow, Russia) twice daily for 24 months seems to reduce how much hardening of the arteries progresses. Higher doses of this product seem to provide more benefits in women than men when taken over a four year period. Research with other products containing garlic along with other ingredients (Kyolic, Total Heart Health, Formula 108, Wakunga) have also shown benefits.
• Diabetes. Garlic seems to modestly reduce pre-meal blood sugar levels in people with or without diabetes. It seems to work best in people with diabetes, especially if it is taken for at least 3 months. It’s not known if garlic reduces post-meal blood sugar levels or HbA1c levels.
• High cholesterol. While not all research agrees, the most reliable evidence suggests that taking garlic can reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, “bad” cholesterol) by a small amount in people with high cholesterol levels. Garlic appears to work best if taken daily for more than 8 weeks. However, taking garlic doesn’t help increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL, “good” cholesterol) or lower levels of other blood fats called triglycerides.
• High blood pressure. Taking garlic by mouth seems to reduce systolic blood pressure (the top number) by about 7-9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by about 4-6 mmHg in people with high blood pressure.
• Prostate cancer. Men in China who eat about one clove of garlic daily seem to have a 50% lower risk of developing prostate cancer. Also, population research shows that eating garlic may be associated with a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer. But other research suggests that eating garlic does not affect prostate cancer risk in men from Iran. Early clinical research suggests that taking garlic extract supplements might reduce the risk of prostate cancer or reduce symptoms associated with prostate cancer.
• Tick bites. People who consume high amounts of garlic over about an 8-week period seem to have a reduced number of tick bites. But it’s not clear how garlic compares to commercially available tick repellants.
• Ringworm. Applying a gel containing 0.6% ajoene, a chemical in garlic, twice daily for one week seems to be as effective as antifungal medication for treating ringworm.
• Jock itch. Applying a gel containing 0.6% ajoene, a chemical in garlic, twice daily for one week seems to be as effective as antifungal medication for treating jock itch.
• Athlete’s foot. Applying a gel containing 1% ajoene, a chemical in garlic, seems to be effective for treating athlete’s foot. Also, applying a garlic gel with 1% ajoene seems to be about as effective as the medicine Lamisil for treating athlete’s foot.

Possibly Ineffective for

• Breast cancer. Taking garlic does not seem to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
• Cystic fibrosis. Research suggests that taking garlic oil macerate daily for 8 weeks does not improve lung function, symptoms, or the need for antibiotics in children with cystic fibrosis and lung infection.
• Inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia). In children with high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol, taking garlic powdered extract by mouth does not seem to improve cholesterol levels or blood pressure.
• Ulcers caused by a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Taking garlic by mouth for H. pylori infection used to look promising due to laboratory evidence showing potential activity against H. pylori. However, when garlic cloves, powder, or oil is used in humans, it does not seem to help treat people infected with H. pylori.
• Lung cancer. Taking garlic by mouth does not seem to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer.
• Mosquito repellent. Taking garlic by mouth does not seem to repel mosquitos.
• Leg pain associated with poor blood flow (peripheral arterial disease). Taking garlic by mouth for 12 weeks does not seem to reduce leg pain when walking due to poor circulation in the legs.
• High blood pressure during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia). Early evidence suggests that taking a specific garlic extract (Garlet) daily during the third trimester of pregnancy does not reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure in women who are at high risk or pregnant for the first time.

Insufficient Evidence for

• Hair loss (alopecia areata). Early evidence suggests that applying a garlic 5% gel along with a topical steroid for 3 months increases hair growth in people with hair loss.
• Chest pain (angina). Early research suggests that administering garlic intravenously (by IV) for 10 days reduces chest pain compared to intravenous nitroglycerin.
• Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH). Early research suggests that taking a liquid garlic extract daily for one month reduces prostate mass and urinary frequency. But the quality of this research is questionable.
• Colon cancer, rectal cancer. Some research has found that eating more garlic is linked with a reduced risk of colon or rectal cancer. But other research does not support this. It’s too soon to know if taking garlic supplements can help reduce the risk of colon or rectal cancer.
• Common cold. Early research suggests that garlic might reduce the frequency and number of colds when taken for prevention.
• Corns. Early research suggests that applying certain garlic extracts to corns on the feet twice daily improves corns. One particular garlic extract that dissolves in fat seems to work after 10-20 days of treatment.
• Heart disease. Some early research suggests that taking a specific garlic product (Allicor, INAT-Farma, Moscow, Russia) for 12 months reduces the risk of sudden death and heart attack in people at risk for developing clogged arteries. Other early research suggests that taking a supplement containing aged garlic (Kyolic, Total Heart Health, Formula 108, Wakunga) might prevent clogged arteries from worsening.
• Cancer of the esophagus. Early research on the use of garlic for preventing cancer in the esophagus is inconsistent. Some evidence suggests that eating raw garlic does not prevent the development of cancer in the esophagus. However, other population research suggests that consuming garlic weekly does decrease the risk of developing cancer in the esophagus.
• Muscle soreness after exercise. Early evidence suggests that taking allicin, a chemical in garlic, daily for 14 days can reduce muscle soreness after exercise in athletes.
• Exercise performance. Early research suggests that taking a single 900 mg dose of garlic before exercise can increase endurance in young athletes.
• Lumpy breast tissue (fibrocystic breast disease). Early research suggests that taking a specific combination product (Karinat, INAT-Farma, Moscow Russia) containing garlic, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C twice daily for 6 months reduces the severity of breast pain, premenstrual syndrome, and lumpy breast tissue in people with fibrocystic breast disease.
• Stomach cancer. Some early research has found that eating more garlic is linked to a lower risk of developing stomach cancer. But taking a specific aged garlic extract (Kyolic, Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Co) does not seem to reduce the risk of developing pre-cancer in the stomach.
• Stomach inflammation (gastritis). Early research suggests that taking a specific combination product containing garlic (Karinat, INAT-Farma, Moscow Russia) twice daily for 6 months improves digestion, stops the growth of certain bacteria (H. pylori), and reduces the risk of stomach cancer in people with stomach inflammation. However, the effect of garlic alone has not been determined.
• Liver disease (hepatitis). Early research suggests that taking garlic oil together with diphenyl-dimethyl-dicarboxylate improves liver function in people with hepatitis. However, the effects of garlic alone are not clear.
• Shortness of breath and low oxygen levels associated with liver disease (hepatopulmonary syndrome). Early research suggests that taking garlic oil for 9-18 months might improve oxygen levels in people with hepatopulmonary syndrome.
• Lead poisoning. Early research suggests that taking garlic three times daily for 4 weeks can reduce blood lead concentrations in people with lead poisoning. But it does not seem to be more effective than D-penicillamine.
• Inflamed mouth sores (oral mucositis). Early research suggests that using a garlic mouthwash three times daily for 4 weeks improves redness in people with mouth sores. People seem to be more satisfied with garlic than the drug nystatin, but it is less effective.
• Cancer of certain bone marrow cells (multiple myeloma). Early research suggests that taking garlic might be linked with a lower risk of developing cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow.
• Inflamed mouth sore (oral mucositis). Early research suggests that using a garlic mouthwash three times daily for 4 weeks improves redness in people with mouth sores. People seem to be more satisfied with garlic than the drug nystatin, but it is less effective.
• Thrush (oral candidiasis). Early research suggests that applying garlic paste to affected areas in the mouth can increase the healing rate in people with oral thrush.
• Inflamed mouth sore (oral mucositis). Early research suggests that using a garlic mouthwash three times daily for 4 weeks improves redness in people with mouth sores. People seem to be more satisfied with garlic than the drug nystatin, but it is less effective.
• Hardened skin (scleroderma). Research suggests that taking garlic daily for 7 days does not benefit people with scleroderma.
• Vaginal yeast infections. Some early research suggests that applying a vaginal cream containing garlic and thyme nightly for 7 nights is as effective as clotrimazole vaginal cream for treating yeast infections. But other early research suggests that taking garlic (Garlicin, Nature’s Way) twice daily for 14 days does not improve symptoms.
• Warts. Early evidence suggests that applying a specific fat-soluble garlic extract to warts on the hands twice daily removes warts within 1-2 weeks. Also, a water-soluble garlic extract seems to provide modest improvement, but only after 30-40 days of treatment.
• Weight loss. Early research suggests that taking a combination product (Prograde Metabolism) containing many different extracts including garlic root extract twice daily for 8 weeks reduces body weight, fat mass, and waist and hip circumference when used together with diet and exercise.

References

1. “Diet and cancer risk in the Korean population: a meta-analysis” (PDF). Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. 15 (19): 8509–19. doi:10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.19.8509. PMID 25339056.
2. Chiavarini, Manuela; Minelli, Liliana; Fabiani, Roberto (1 February 2016). “Garlic consumption and colorectal cancer risk in man: a systematic review and meta-analysis”(PDF). Public Health Nutrition. 19 (2): 308–317. doi:10.1017/S1368980015001263. ISSN 1475-2727. PMID 25945653.
3. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 12 (12): 1991–2001.e1–4; quiz e121. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2014.03.019. ISSN 1542-7714. PMID 24681077.
4. “Allium Vegetables and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Evidence from 132,192 Subjects” (PDF). Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. 14 (7): 4131–4134. doi:10.7314/apjcp.2013.14.7.4131. ISSN 1513-7368. PMID 23991965. Arc
5. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60 hived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 2015.
6. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 11 (11): CD006206. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006206.pub4. PMID 25386977.
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic
8. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/garlic

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