Garlic has a lot of power. The Ancient Egyptians used this little but powerful food for headaches, bug bites, and heart issues as early as 1500 B.C. And now, in the present era, we love garlic for various reasons, particularly the tastes it adds to our favourite pasta dish.
Garlic can be eaten in a variety of ways. Of course, there's the fresh garlic clove to chop up by throwing into your alfredo sauce. However, we can also utilize garlic powder tablets, garlic oil, and old garlic extract, which has been aged to generate a highly effective extraction.
We wanted to find all of the possible effects of garlic, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here are some of the lesser-known garlic side effects.
1. You might feel bloated
Garlic is high in fructan, a form of carbohydrate. Wheat, rye, onions, asparagus, grapefruit, watermelon, black beans, and cashews are all high in these carbohydrates. According to Lori Chung RD of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, people regularly misdiagnose themselves with gluten intolerance when they have a fructan intolerance.
Bloating, stomach pain, cramps, and excess gas are all symptoms of fructan intolerance, similar to gluten intolerance. If you frequently have gastrointestinal problems after consuming garlic, you should be careful!
According to Current Gastroenterology Reports, a FODMAP diet may benefit persons who have a possible fructan intolerance. However, additional research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this approach at this time. Cooking garlic has also been shown to help relieve some of the possible digestive discomforts.2. You might get heartburn
Adults with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) experience excessive acid reflux in the esophagus. This causes a great deal of pain, nausea, and heartburn.
If you have GERD or are susceptible to heartburn, you should limit your garlic consumption. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is a set of muscles in our bodies that prevents stomach acid from flowing to the esophagus. According to Primary Care, Garlic can lower the "tone" of these LES muscles, causing greater heartburn, especially in people who have GERD or other digestive problems.
3. You might strengthen your immune system
Garlic can boost our immune system. According to the Journal of Immunology Research, garlic can boost our immunity by stimulating various types of cells in the human body that are directly linked to immune system function. According to this study, more human studies on this topic are needed, although the current findings are still quite promising.
Another study published in Clinical Nutrition discovered that aged garlic extract could boost immunity. A daily dose of aged garlic extract was given to 60 participants, whereas another group of 60 received a placebo. After the study period, it was discovered that those who took the extract had far less severe cold/flu symptoms and spent far less time sick.
4. You might be able to use it as an anti-fungal
Garlic has been recognized to have antimicrobial properties, which is a nice way of saying anything that kills or destroys a certain organism. Antimicrobial is a broad term that includes antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
Garlic includes qualities that can help fight nine of the 24 frequent bacterial infections described in the paper, as well as one of the ten fungi listed: candida parapsilosis, according to the Ulster Medical Journal. This is a common species of candida (or yeast) that, if there is too much of it, can cause yeast infections.
Garlic may be a useful anti-fungal agent. However, it is generally used with other anti-fungal medications and should not be used alone until the additional study.
5. You might improve your cognitive function
Garlic has been shown to have a good influence on our cognitive performance in some studies. According to the Journal of Nutrition, aged garlic extract has been shown to boost memory and retention while reducing the risk of cognitive decline.
Because of its unique antioxidant properties, garlic extract may be able to fight certain cancers, heart disease, and dementia, according to a study published in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine.
6. You might lower your blood pressure
Garlic is also known to have properties that can help us lower our blood pressure over time. According to a paper published in the Nutrition Journal on garlic consumption, eating fresh garlic cloves or garlic products can help decrease blood pressure.
According to a paper released by Dove Medical Press, one of the main factors in lowering blood pressure with garlic is the polysulfides found in their makeup. These polysulfides help control our bodies' "redox signalling pathways," which are the methods through which our cells receive important messages about things that need to be repaired or protected. This includes keeping our blood pressure under control.