If you have ever sat in a Beijing taxi you might have noticed a small bowl of raw garlic, ready to be chewed by the driver or even shared with the passenger. And if you follow health hackers like Bryan Johnson, garlic forms part of the daily longevity protocol. Why? Because the evidence shows that garlic is truly a (in this instance, please don't hate on the adjective) superfood.
Garlic (Allium sativum) is related to chives, onion, leeks, scallions and shallots. Widely available, cheap and even easy to grow, garlic - when consumed on a regular basis - is a cost effective health remedy. Humans have used it for thousands of years, in the kitchen for flavour and for its health benefits. Garlic is rich in bioactive compounds, including organosulfur compounds, saponins, phenolic compounds and polysaccharides.
Across multiple chronic illnesses, the evidence shows that garlic supports health. For a deep dive into garlic and all its benefits, scroll down to bottom of page to see a growing list of published studies including multiple meta-analyses. Where has garlic been shown to have positive effects?
Alzheimer's and cognitive health
Anti-microbial action
Blood glucose control
Cancer
Cardiovascular health
High cholesterol / Hyperlipidemia
Hypertension
Inflammation
Metabolic syndrome
Non alcoholic fatty liver disease
Not bad for a common culinary ingredient that sits on the kitchen counter and costs cents!
While some people can be sensitive to garlic (heartburn, bloating and stomach upset can occur for a few) most enjoy it without fear - except perhaps for its strong odour. Garlic supplements may increase the risk of bleeding for some. While garlic has many potential health benefits, it should not be used as a substitute for medications. Please talk to your doctor, or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle; especially if you are under treatment.
Garlic and Longevity in China
So what can we and Bryan Johnson learn or share from Beijing taxi drivers' own longevity protocol. Quoting directly from a 2019 Chinese study, the actual paper is at bottom of page...
"It was found that the habit of garlic consumption was inversely associated with mortality among 27,437 participants aged over 80 years in China. The oldest old who consumed garlic more than five times a week had a 11% decrease in the risk of mortality, compared with those who consumed it less than once a week. The association was consistent across different age groups (octogenarians, nonagenarians, centenarians), for different sex, and in different participant subgroups defined by various baseline characteristics."
Johnson includes garlic in his Super Veggie hummus and as a twice daily supplement. As with many food based (and lifestyle) habits, consistency over time provides results. What you practise on a daily basis matters.
How to Enjoy Garlic
This is the fun part...
Garlic needs to be crushed and left to sit for 10 minutes for it develop its primary health promoting chemical allicin.
Heat destroys allicin, so for maximum health: eat garlic raw, cook garlic on a low heat or add it to recipes at the last minute.
Use crushed in a salad dressing or vinaigrette.
Add to fried greens or beans.
Use in a garlic aioli or mayonnaise.
Enjoy pickled or fermented in honey. Fermentation in honey takes the heat out of garlic and maintains its health benefits.
Eat garlic in the evening to reduce any breath problems for business meetings. Or just don't give a damn!
Gastroenterologist and author Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (see our book review for Fiber Fueled here) sometimes takes crushed garlic in a shot, just to make sure that he gets his weekly dose.
At home we often add garlic to cooked soups and stews, even roasted. Our most common way to consume garlic in its 'raw' form is (1) crushed in vinaigrette based salad dressings or (2) added to herb rich salsas (salsa verde is a favourite) or (3) thinly sliced and raw in SE Asian style (Thai or Vietnamese) salads, dipping sauces and dishes.
For health benefits, aside from consistency of use, the dose used in studies range from 1 to 2 cloves , or a quarter of a teaspoon of dried powder per day. Greater than that and there can be issues with blood thinning in the long-term.
Diets rich in garlic range from Mediterranean to Asian cuisines and beyond. The chances are that no matter where you are from there is a garlicky dish to enjoy... so enjoy!
Eat well,
Alastair
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Related Garlic Studies and Resources
Bryan Johnson's dietary protocol: see Super Veggie dish and pills.
All Cause Mortality and Health
The China study quoted above... Shi X, Lv Y, Mao C, Yuan J, Yin Z, Gao X, Zhang Z. Garlic Consumption and All-Cause Mortality among Chinese Oldest-Old Individuals: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Nutrients. 2019 Jun 30;11(7):1504. doi: 10.3390/nu11071504. PMID: 31262080; PMCID: PMC6683033.
Ansary J, Forbes-Hernández TY, Gil E, Cianciosi D, Zhang J, Elexpuru-Zabaleta M, Simal-Gandara J, Giampieri F, Battino M. Potential Health Benefit of Garlic Based on Human Intervention Studies: A Brief Overview. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 Jul 15;9(7):619. doi: 10.3390/antiox9070619. PMID: 32679751; PMCID: PMC7402177.
Alzheimer's and Cognitive Health
Tedeschi P, Nigro M, Travagli A, Catani M, Cavazzini A, Merighi S, Gessi S. Therapeutic Potential of Allicin and Aged Garlic Extract in Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jun 22;23(13):6950. doi: 10.3390/ijms23136950. PMID: 35805955; PMCID: PMC9266652.
Sripanidkulchai B. Benefits of aged garlic extract on Alzheimer's disease: Possible mechanisms of action. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Feb;19(2):1560-1564. doi: 10.3892/etm.2019.8390. Epub 2019 Dec 27. PMID: 32010339; PMCID: PMC6966106.
Song H, Cui J, Mossine VV, Greenlief CM, Fritsche K, Sun GY, Gu Z. Bioactive components from garlic on brain resiliency against neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Feb;19(2):1554-1559. doi: 10.3892/etm.2019.8389. Epub 2019 Dec 27. PMID: 32010338; PMCID: PMC6966118.
Blood Glucose, Lipids, Hyperlipidemia
Zhao X, Cheng T, Xia H, Yang Y, Wang S. Effects of Garlic on Glucose Parameters and Lipid Profile: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2024 May 29;16(11):1692. doi: 10.3390/nu16111692. PMID: 38892625; PMCID: PMC11174586.
Chen K, Xie K, Liu Z, Nakasone Y, Sakao K, Hossain A, Hou DX. Preventive Effects and Mechanisms of Garlic on Dyslipidemia and Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis. Nutrients. 2019 May 29;11(6):1225. doi: 10.3390/nu11061225. PMID: 31146458; PMCID: PMC6627858.
Sun YE, Wang W, Qin J. Anti-hyperlipidemia of garlic by reducing the level of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein: A meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 May;97(18):e0255. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000010255. PMID: 29718835; PMCID: PMC6392629.
Cardiovascular Disease
Imaizumi VM, Laurindo LF, Manzan B, Guiguer EL, Oshiiwa M, Otoboni AMMB, Araujo AC, Tofano RJ, Barbalho SM. Garlic: A systematic review of the effects on cardiovascular diseases. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(24):6797-6819. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2043821. Epub 2022 Feb 23. PMID: 35193446.
Schwingshackl L, Missbach B, Hoffmann G. An umbrella review of garlic intake and risk of cardiovascular disease. Phytomedicine. 2016 Oct 15;23(11):1127-33. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2015.10.015. Epub 2015 Nov 14. PMID: 26656227.
Cancer
Pandey P, Khan F, Alshammari N, Saeed A, Aqil F, Saeed M. Updates on the anticancer potential of garlic organosulfur compounds and their nanoformulations: Plant therapeutics in cancer management. Front Pharmacol. 2023 Mar 20;14:1154034. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1154034. PMID: 37021043; PMCID: PMC10067574.
Wang Y, Huang P, Wu Y, Liu D, Ji M, Li H, Wang Y. Association and mechanism of garlic consumption with gastrointestinal cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Oncol Lett. 2022 Apr;23(4):125. doi: 10.3892/ol.2022.13245. Epub 2022 Feb 17. PMID: 35222725; PMCID: PMC8867184.
De Greef D, Barton EM, Sandberg EN, Croley CR, Pumarol J, Wong TL, Das N, Bishayee A. Anticancer potential of garlic and its bioactive constituents: A systematic and comprehensive review. Semin Cancer Biol. 2021 Aug;73:219-264. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.11.020. Epub 2020 Dec 7. PMID: 33301861.
Zhang Y, Liu X, Ruan J, Zhuang X, Zhang X, Li Z. Phytochemicals of garlic: Promising candidates for cancer therapy. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Mar;123:109730. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109730. Epub 2019 Dec 23. PMID: 31877551.
Female Reproductive System
Jafari F, Khalilzadeh S, Nejatbakhsh F, Naderie M. Therapeutic effects of garlic (Allium sativum) on female reproductive system: A systematic review. Heliyon. 2023 Nov 20;9(12):e22555. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22555. PMID: 38076037; PMCID: PMC10709373.
Hypertension
Ried K. Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive subjects, improves arterial stiffness and gut microbiota: A review and meta-analysis. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Feb;19(2):1472-1478. doi: 10.3892/etm.2019.8374. Epub 2019 Dec 27. PMID: 32010325; PMCID: PMC6966103.
Ried K. Garlic Lowers Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Individuals, Regulates Serum Cholesterol, and Stimulates Immunity: An Updated Meta-analysis and Review. J Nutr. 2016 Feb;146(2):389S-396S. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.202192. Epub 2016 Jan 13. PMID: 26764326.
Rohner A, Ried K, Sobenin IA, Bucher HC, Nordmann AJ. A systematic review and metaanalysis on the effects of garlic preparations on blood pressure in individuals with hypertension. Am J Hypertens. 2015 Mar;28(3):414-23. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpu165. Epub 2014 Sep 18. PMID: 25239480.
Inflammation
Tsao JP, Bernard JR, Tu TH, Hsu HC, Chang CC, Liao SF, Cheng IS. Garlic supplementation attenuates cycling exercise-induced oxidative inflammation but fails to improve time trial performance in healthy adults. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2023 Dec;20(1):2206809. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2023.2206809. PMID: 37170623; PMCID: PMC10184592.
Arreola R, Quintero-Fabián S, López-Roa RI, Flores-Gutiérrez EO, Reyes-Grajeda JP, Carrera-Quintanar L, Ortuño-Sahagún D. Immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects of garlic compounds. J Immunol Res. 2015;2015:401630. doi: 10.1155/2015/401630. Epub 2015 Apr 19. PMID: 25961060; PMCID: PMC4417560.
Metabolic Syndrome
Varade S, Nadella M, Hirake A, Mungase SB, Ali A, Adela R. Effect of garlic on the components of metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Ethnopharmacol. 2024 Jan 10;318(Pt B):116960. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116960. Epub 2023 Jul 28. PMID: 37517570.
Fu Z, Lv J, Gao X, Zheng H, Shi S, Xu X, Zhang B, Wu H, Song Q. Effects of garlic supplementation on components of metabolic syndrome: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023 Jul 22;23(1):260. doi: 10.1186/s12906-023-04038-0. PMID: 37481521; PMCID: PMC10362699.
NAFLD
Pourreza S, Azar PS, Sanaie S, Noshadi N, Jalali S, Niazkar HR, Karimi A, Vajdi M. Therapeutic Effects and Mechanisms of Action of Garlic (Allium sativum) on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Comprehensive Systematic Literature Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Oct 6;2022:6960211. doi: 10.1155/2022/6960211. PMID: 37377647; PMCID: PMC10292950.
Other
Skoczylas J, Jędrszczyk E, Dziadek K, Dacewicz E, Kopeć A. Basic Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity and Selected Polyphenolic Compounds Profile in Garlic Leaves and Bulbs Collected at Various Stages of Development. Molecules. 2023 Sep 16;28(18):6653. doi: 10.3390/molecules28186653. PMID: 37764429; PMCID: PMC10537509.
Sunanta P, Kontogiorgos V, Pankasemsuk T, Jantanasakulwong K, Rachtanapun P, Seesuriyachan P, Sommano SR. The nutritional value, bioactive availability and functional properties of garlic and its related products during processing. Front Nutr. 2023 Jul 25;10:1142784. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1142784. PMID: 37560057; PMCID: PMC10409574.
Hitl M, Kladar N, Gavarić N, Srđenović Čonić B, Božin B. Garlic burn injuries- a systematic review of reported cases. Am J Emerg Med. 2021 Jun;44:5-10. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.01.039. Epub 2021 Jan 31. PMID: 33571752.
Shang A, Cao SY, Xu XY, Gan RY, Tang GY, Corke H, Mavumengwana V, Li HB. Bioactive Compounds and Biological Functions of Garlic (Allium sativum L.). Foods. 2019 Jul 5;8(7):246. doi: 10.3390/foods8070246. PMID: 31284512; PMCID: PMC6678835.
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