The health benefits of garlic that you must know
KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. Garlic has many good benefits for the health of your body.
For most people, garlic is a kitchen spice to add to cooking. Apart from enhancing the aroma, garlic can add a distinctive flavor to dishes.
However, the benefits of garlic are apparently not only for enhancing aroma and taste, but also for health.
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As information, garlic has been used for a long time as medicine and has a positive impact on health. Here are the health benefits of garlic that you must know.
1. Ward off colds
Want to prevent nasal congestion due to colds? You can put garlic in cooking to ward off colds.
One of the benefits of garlic is that it increases the body’s immune system. A study found that the allicin content in garlic can reduce the chances of catching a cold and make people who catch colds recover faster.
2. Improve sports performance
Garlic can also improve sports performance. However, research on the effects of garlic on physical performance is still mostly done in mice.
Studies show that people with heart disease experience better exercise performance after being given garlic oil twice a day for six weeks.
However, studies regarding garlic and exercise performance are still contradictory and require further research.
3. Natural antibiotics
The content of diallyl sulfide in garlic is useful for fighting Campylobacter bacteria that cause indigestion and even 100 times more effective than common antibiotics that are often used.
The benefits of garlic against certain bacteria make it a potential alternative to ‘natural antibiotics’.
4. Reducing the risk of lung cancer
People who ate raw garlic at least twice a week had a 44% lower risk of developing lung cancer.
Even so, more research is still needed to confirm the benefits of garlic in preventing lung cancer.
5. Relieves heavy metal poisoning
In addition to the dially sulfide content, the sulfur content in garlic is believed to be able to protect organs from damage caused by poisoning by heavy metals, such as lead.
Garlic was found to reduce blood lead levels by 19% in employees working in factories that manufacture batteries for cars.
Not only lead levels, garlic can also relieve symptoms of poisoning, such as headaches and so on. In fact, giving garlic three times a day is more effective in relieving symptoms of poisoning than the D-penicillamine drug.
6. Reducing cholesterol levels
Another benefit of garlic is reducing levels of bad cholesterol or LDL. Garlic supplementation was found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 10% -15%
7. Lower blood pressure
For people with hypertension, the benefits of garlic in lowering blood pressure are quite commonly known.
One study found that giving 600-1,500 milligrams of garlic extract had the same effect in lowering blood pressure as the drug Atenolol over a period of 24 weeks.
If you like raw garlic, then you can eat four cloves of raw garlic per day to lower blood pressure.
8. Able to protect the heart
The diallyl trisulfide content in garlic oil can help protect the heart after heart attacks and after heart surgery, and can be used as a treatment for heart failure.
Research conducted on mice showed that there was a 61% reduction in heart damage after diallyl sulfide was given to mice with heart attacks.
9. Improve bone health in women
In female rats, bone loss can be overcome by giving garlic to increase estrogen levels. Therefore, garlic has the potential not only to increase estrogen levels but also to prevent bone loss in women.
However, further research is still needed regarding the benefits of garlic for bones.
10. Prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s
Garlic contains antioxidants that can ward off free radicals and reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The benefits of garlic in preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s are due to its ability to prevent cognitive decline by protecting nerve cells.
However, similar to the benefits of garlic for bone health, research on the benefits of garlic for preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s still needs further study.
11. Reducing the risk of hip osteoarthritis
Research shows that women who frequently eat allium-type vegetables, such as garlic, have a lower risk of developing hip osteoarthritis. More research is still needed to make garlic an alternative treatment for hip osteoarthritis.
12. Reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer
Garlic is also said to reduce the chance of developing prostate cancer. However, additional research is still needed to see the benefits of garlic in reducing the risk of prostate cancer.
The health benefits of garlic can be obtained through raw or cooked garlic. You can mix garlic into various dishes that you consume, good luck! (Wisnubrata)
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This article was published on Kompas.com with the title “12 Benefits of Garlic for Body Health”