An Update On Garlic (Phew!)
Eating garlic linked to lower mortality risk
Allium sativum, or garlic is a popular herb with a history dating back centuries. Garlic is related to both shallots and onions and is grown across the world, a popular addition to many recipes due to its savory flavor and health benefits. It is packed with vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium, manganese, selenium and potassium and many studies suggest that the organosulfur compounds contained in garlic give it its protective, antioxidant properties.
Now a brand-new study took research even further, discovering that eating garlic is linked to lower all-cause mortality, even among aging populations. Previous studies had found that garlic was associated with lower mortality risk in healthy, younger people. However, the new study published in the Nutrients Journal decided to look at the oldest aging individuals in the country of China where researchers looked at a group of more than 27,000 aging adults with the mean age of 92.9 years, and of those participants, 15.9% of them reported that they consumed garlic five or more times each week.
At follow-up time, individuals who reported they ate garlic frequently had a longer median survival time compared to those who only ate garlic rarely or occasionally. Researchers concluded that higher garlic consumption was linked to lower all-cause mortality – hypothesizing that it’s the potent antioxidant properties of garlic that provided this protective effect. In fact, consuming garlic five or more times weekly resulted in an 11% decrease in mortality risk for even the oldest study participants.
Wait! There’s more: Additional health benefits of eating garlic include:
- Improved immunity: Garlic contains allicin which kills microbes and helps prevent infections.
- Lowers blood pressure: Studies show that supplementing with garlic capsules reduces blood pressure – as well as prescription medicines.
- Blood clot prevention: Eating garlic is linked to a reduced risk of blood clots.
- Protects against heart disease: It’s thought that the antioxidants found in garlic help lower the risk of heart disease.
- Reduces cholesterol: Researchers have found that garlic consumption may lower bad cholesterol levels by up to 10-15%.
- Boosts liver health: Garlic helps the liver produce essential enzymes needed for detoxification and it can help remedy nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
The best way to ensure you get the most benefits from garlic is to consume fresh (raw) garlic multiple times per week. It’s great in soups, salads or directly in the mouth. However most people don’t eat large portions of garlic at one time for obvious reasons… it will leave you smelling like garlic!
So if you don’t think you’re eating enough garlic you might add a quality supplement to your diet for the additional boost, such as garlic capsules or garlic tinctures.
Hummingbird Creations makes a potent garlic tincture, using our organically home-grown garlic that we extract with 100 Proof Vodka. We allow a minimum of 8 weeks to process into our powerful Garlic Tincture. This is a great addition to any health regime and an easy way to enhance your health!
You can get it here:
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Sources for this article include:
NaturalHealthResearch.org
NaturalFoodSeries.com
NIH.gov
* The information included in this website on the structure and functional uses of herbs is based on historical use and personal experience. It has not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease
