Is garlic good for you?

Garlic has played the role of folk health remedy for centuries.

It has been touted as a health product that helps with everything from the common cold to the plague. And its role in controlling the movements of vampires has long made it the valuable. (Yes, vampires.)

Health benefits of garlic still unproven

Claims that garlic helps to lower cholesterol, fight cancer, hypertension, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and even the common cold have led to an industry selling garlic supplements as a health products with all kinds of claims.

The “stinking rose” has long been studied yet its health effects are unclear and even less proven.

To quote a European Commission request for scientific study, “garlic…is generally considered beneficial for human health. However, the mechanisms behind the health beneficial effects of garlic are poorly understood.”

Most studies focus on allicin

The areas of interest in garlic are centered on the effects of allicin, which gives garlic its aroma and flavour. Allicin is produced when garlic is cut or crushed and is destroyed if the clove is cooked before being cut.

There is some support for it being able to reduce blood clots in studies on animals. However, little is known about its effect on humans.

Some research has shown that LDL (“bad”) cholesterol may be reduced by garlic. Other studies have found no such relationship. Blood pressure is a second interesting area. Again, some research does show that garlic can lower blood pressure in people with hypertension.

What about the claims that garlic can fight disease? Again, the evidence is thin and mixed. Some population studies have found that people who eat lots of garlic have a lower risk of certain cancers, in particular, stomach, colon and prostate.

However, those studies have not been large enough nor randomized so it is just as likely there is something else about garlic eaters that affects the cancer rather than garlic itself. In other words, there is a correlation, but not a proven causation.

Other claims about the benefits of garlic include upper respiratory infection, diabetes and arthritis are all unsupported.

What about garlic supplements?

The garlic supplement industry has evolved on the back of these claims. If there are benefits to garlic, the best bet is to consume the vegetable.

Supplements can vary widely in quality and will often include unsupported claims on their labels. In some tests, label claims were unsupported in about  half the samples.

Worse, some products were contaminated with unlisted ingredients with harmful side effects.

Garlic may well have health benefits — and it’s a great ingredient is cooking, too — but few claims have been supported by fact.

Submitted by Dr. Paul Martiquet, Medical Health Officer for Rural Vancouver Coastal Health including Powell River, the Sunshine Coast, Sea-to-Sky, Bella Bella and Bella Coola.