“The explanation for the presence of sulfur compounds in garlic is to permit the garlic bulb to outlive (whereas it is) within the floor, the place it is surrounded by predators microscopic and bigger,” Block mentioned. The smelly, burning “compounds which might be launched when the garlic clove is disrupted serve to discourage additional assault.”
The position of allicin present in garlic
“There may be numerous folklore as to the useful well being results of garlic within the weight-reduction plan,” mentioned Alan Slusarenko, a professor of plant physiology at RWTH Aachen College in Germany, through e mail. “Nonetheless, we’ve got no information from managed scientific trials.”
Concern: flip allicin right into a helpful drug
“That is been the large drawback: How do you’re taking this compound allicin, with all these fantastic properties demonstrated in (human) cells, and make it right into a helpful drug?” Block mentioned.
“To attempt to translate that into a medication has confirmed very, very difficult, and has led numerous firms — which might be out to earn money — to make false claims primarily based on the exercise of those compounds in cells,” he added. In different phrases, some firms have been “making an attempt to persuade those who simply because they’re very energetic in all these experiments, it is also energetic as a tablet or as a complement.”
Allicin is “destroyed” when cooked, Slusarenko mentioned, “and off-the-shelf dietary supplements usually don’t have any or variable contents of allicin.”
And the US Meals and Drug Administration would not regulate dietary dietary supplements, so “advertisers can say no matter they need,” Block mentioned.
Attainable unwanted side effects
Given these points, you may suppose that folks might simply eat uncooked garlic for well being advantages.
Nonetheless, this is not a good suggestion for a number of causes: As a result of allicin is garlic’s very potent protection, consuming uncooked garlic “may cause extreme irritation and burns,” Block mentioned. The slower an individual’s metabolism, the extra probably it’s that they might expertise unwanted side effects akin to rash, heartburn, abdomen irritation, and burns within the esophagus or digestive tract.
Some cultures do not have this drawback. In some areas of the Mediterranean, for instance, “folks will chew on garlic, and I suppose they’ve developed a resistance to it,” Block mentioned. However for a lot of others, it is “harmful and it ought to by no means be used with youngsters. And it shouldn’t be used on delicate areas of the physique.”
A optimistic, not a panacea
Possibly the most important advantage of garlic is not what science has to say about it, however somewhat how garlic may also help us eat higher.
“Scientifically, garlic and onions and associated crops are actually considered one of nature’s wonders. I believe that there is some very thrilling science that one can uncover,” Block mentioned.
“It is doable that, sooner or later, scientists will uncover methods to make the most of these outstanding molecules in a approach to deal with illness. However once more, that needs to be accomplished utilizing the total energy of science to check compounds in a good and trustworthy approach to ensure that they really work.”
CNN’s Sandee LaMotte contributed to this story.
