Garlic Boosts Immunity Against The Common Cold!

Garlic is used extensively by the Italians, Greeks, and Indians & Chinese in their meal preparations, in both fresh and cooked dishes. From exotic tzaddzikki, to Indian garlic chutneys and Italian salads, garlic has graced many tables.

Is it a coincidence that these ancient cultures use this herb extensively? Perhaps ancient lore passed down through generations has imparted knowledge whereby they understand its preventive, medicinal, properties can improve their health, perhaps even prevent the onset of certain diseases.

Well, the scientific jury has ambivalent feelings about the extent to which garlic can be called a cure it all. Several studies do indicate its medicinal nature and they make sense, but large scale studies that are irrefutable have somehow maintained an element of uncertainty. The evidence in garlic's flavor is strongest with regards to lowering cholesterol levels though.

The bottom line is that garlic is irresistible , and should still be used liberally in foods not just for its potential health benefits, but simply because it tastes divine.

In a double-blind study, published in 2001, British scientists followed 146 healthy adults over 12 weeks from November to February. Those who had been randomly selected to receive a daily garlic supplement came down with 24 colds during the study period, compared with 65 colds in the placebo group. The garlic group experienced 111 days of sickness, versus 366 for those given a placebo. They also recovered faster.

What about some claims in this past decade that garlic can be helpful in warding off a cold?

In 2003, Christopher Gardner, PhD, a researcher at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, set out to conduct the most rigorous study ever to address a lingering controversy in the nutritional-supplement field: whether fresh garlic and garlic supplements - a widely consumed herbal supplement - lower cholesterol as claimed. Gardner said the question remains unsettled because chemical analyses conducted by Larry Lawson, PhD, a biochemist and co-investigator for Stanford's study, revealed serious flaws in the formulations of the garlic supplements used in past studies. The key issue is allicin, an enzyme that is garlic's active ingredient.

When a person eats fresh garlic, allicin is released by chewing or mincing the herb. It's more challenging to get allicin from a garlic pill, however. In some cases, if the pills dissolve in the stomach, the garlic enzyme needed to produce allicin becomes inactivated.

Some pills, meanwhile, have an enteric coating, and these pills often pass through the body undissolved. "The problem is, all these studies didn't really test garlic - they tested garlic supplements," Gardner said. "That's not the same as eating garlic."

Numerous controlled trials have examined the effects of oral garlic on serum lipids. Long-term effects on lipids or cardiovascular morbidity and mortality remain unknown. Other preparations (such as enteric-coated or raw garlic) have not been well studied.

Small reductions in blood pressure (<10mmHg), inhibition of platelet aggregation, and enhancement of fibrinolytic activity have been reported, and may exert effects on cardiovascular outcomes, although evidence is preliminary in these areas.

Numerous case-control/population-based studies suggest that regular consumption of garlic (particularly unprocessed garlic) may reduce the risk of developing several types of cancer, including gastric and colorectal malignancies. However, prospective controlled trials are lacking.

Multiple cases of bleeding have been associated with garlic use, and caution is warranted in patients at risk of bleeding or prior to some surgical/dental procedures. Garlic does not appear to significantly affect blood glucose levels.

So enjoy the flavors yielded from cooking with garlic.

By. Dietitians, NutritionVista.com

Talk to your personal dietitian at NutritionVista if you have any other questions.