GARLIC’S SUPER INGREDIENT - ALLICIN

Ever wondered why most health enthusiasts use garlic on a daily basis? Well, the secret is Allicin! Allicin is an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic. When fresh garlic is chopped or crushed, an enzyme called alliinase converts alliin into allicin, which is responsible for the aroma of fresh garlic.

Allicin is produced in garlic cells when they are damaged, which is why garlic’s scent is most potent once it is being cut or cooked. Several scientific studies have pointed out several health benefits of ingesting Allicin:

Health Benefits of Allicin

1.      Cardio-protective benefits (Heart health) - Blood cell and blood vessel protection from inflammatory and oxidative stress.  Damage to blood vessel linings by highly reactive oxygen molecules is a key factor for increasing our risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and atherosclerosis. Oxidative damage also leads to unwanted inflammation, and it is this combination of unwanted inflammation and oxidative stress that puts our blood vessels at risk of unwanted plaque formation and clogging. 

2.      Lower Blood Pressure - Allicin blocks the activity of angiotensin II, a small piece of protein (peptide), which helps our blood vessels contract. When vessels contract, blood is forced to pass through a smaller space, and the pressure is increased. By blocking the activity of angiotensin II, allicin helps to prevent contraction of blood vessels and increase in blood pressure. 

3.      Normalize Lipoprotein balance

4.      Anti-thrombotic –This means Garlic could have potentially beneficial health effects on persons living with Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and can be used in anti-thrombotic therapy.  

5.      Anti-inflammatory properties – The diallyl sulfide (DAS) and thiacremonone in garlic have been shown to have anti-arthritic properties, hence garlic is very beneficial to persons with Arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.  Some inflammatory aspects of Obesity may be altered by sulfur-containing compounds in garlic. Fat cells cannot become fully developed unless they are able to progress from a preliminary stage called pre-adipocytes to a final stage called adipocytes. One of the sulfur compounds in garlic (1,2,-vinyldithiin, or 1,2-DT) appears able to lessen this conversion of pre-adipocytes into adipocytes, and the impact of 1,2-DT appears to be inflammation-related.  

6.      Antioxidant  - Prevents oxidation and hence is crucial in Cancer prevention. 

7.      Anti-carcinogen - Allyl sulfides in garlic activate a molecule called nuclear erythroid factor (Nrf2) in the main compartment of cells, which triggers various metabolic activities. One such activity is the cell’s self-destruction or programmed cell death (apoptosis). When a cell recognizes that it has become too compromised to continue functioning in a healthy manner with other cells, it stops proceeding through its own life cycle and dismantles itself and recycle its parts. It's critical for a cell to determine whether it should continue on or shut itself down, because cells that continue on without the ability to properly function or communicate effectively with other cells are at risk of becoming cancerous. This essentially means that garlic may actually be able to stop or at least slow down metastasis of cancer cells. For those who like Nyama choma, one of the carcinogenic substances formed when meat is cooked under very high temperatures (400°F/204°C or higher) is PhlP (2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazopyridine). Diallyl sulfide (DAS), one of the many sulfur-containing compounds in garlic, has been shown to inhibit the transformation of PhIP into carcinogens.

8.      Antimicrobial properties - The antibacterial and antiviral properties of garlic are its most legendary feature. Garlic has tremendous benefits in controlling infection not only by bacteria and viruses, but also infection from other microbes including yeasts, fungi and worms. Garlic has a strong ability to treat bacterial infections that are difficult to treat due to resistance to prescription antibiotics.

9.      Lower Blood Triglycerides and moderately lower total Cholesterol levels      

10.  Improves Iron metabolism – Stored iron requires a protein called ferroportin for it to be moved out of the cell and returned into circulation. Garlic may be able to increase the body's production of ferroportin, hence iron remains in circulation as needed.

Garlic is also rich in sulfur-containing molecules called polysulfides. Once inside red blood cells (RBCs), polysulfides are converted by RBCs into a gas called hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide helps control blood pressure by triggering dilation (expanding) of blood vessels. When the space inside blood vessels expands, blood pressure gets reduced. Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is described as a "gasotransmitter" and placed in the same category as Nitric Oxide (NO) as a messaging molecule that can help expand and relax our blood vessel walls.