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What’s great about garlic?

Healthy bite Garlic

“And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath.”

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Garlic has an ancient and well-deserved reputation for medicinal properties that modern medicine appears to endorse. As a result, garlic pills and powders became a popular natural remedy for high cholesterol levels, heart disease and cancer. In reali ty, the evidence for garlic’s role in disease prevention is more nuanced than its enthusiasts claim for it. Garlic also has important side effects and drug interactions.

The following is a brief overview: What makes garlic healthful? High sulphur content, antioxidants, allicin, flavonoids, and selenium. These compounds may promote cell repair and reduce the formation and effect of free radicals.

How strong is the evidence in favour of garlic? Population studies indicate that higher consumption of garlic reduces the risk of cancers of the breast, oesophagus, stomach, colon and pancreas. There is stronger evidence that it prevents formation of blood clots, and it reduces total blood cholesterol and LDL (‘bad cholesterol’) over short periods of time (1 to 3 months) these effects can help prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke. In the following conditions — contrary to manufacturers’ hype — there is little evidence of benefit: diabetes, sickle cell anaemia, common cold, pre-eclampsia. Which preparation is best? Raw garlic is most potent. Most pills and extracts contain vegetable oil or alcohol and are less effective. Despite being the least potent, garlic added during cooking probably is what matters most in the end because we consume so much of it and so often.

How much is sufficient for health? There is no recommended dose that is known to prevent disease. However, the WHO recommends that daily intake of a clove of raw garlic or its equivalent (2 to 5 mg of garlic oil, 0.4 to 1.2 g of dried garlic powder or 300 to 1,000 mg of garlic extract) will promote ‘general health.’

Health concerns with garlic use: Because it is a natural blood thinner, it is not safe for pregnant women, for those on blood thinners like warfarin, and for people about to undergo surgery. It can exacerbate gastric ulcers and bronchial asthma, and cause contact dermatitis with topical application.

(THE WRITER IS A SPECIALIST IN INTERNAL MEDICINE)

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