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Chinese researchers found that regularly adding garlic to your diet—fresh, dried, or infused in oil—can help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
What Scientists Discovered
A team from Southeast University and Sizhan Minzu University conducted a meta-analysis of 22 previous studies, encompassing 29 randomized controlled trials.
The duration of the trials included in the meta-analysis ranged from three weeks to a year, with garlic consumed in various forms, including raw, aged extract, and garlic powder capsules.
The results showed that garlic consumption is associated with lower levels of glucose and bad cholesterol.
“Garlic has a beneficial effect on blood glucose and lipid levels in people, and this relationship is statistically significant,” the researchers concluded.
Glucose and lipids are nutrients that provide energy to the body. With a healthy lifestyle, their metabolism is well regulated, the report said. An unhealthy lifestyle, which may include alcohol consumption and fast food, leads to increased sugar and fat levels in the body.
“Disruption of glucose and lipid metabolism can trigger a range of chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and fatty liver disease,” the team wrote.
Participants in the meta-analysis who regularly included garlic in their diets showed lower blood glucose levels. According to the researchers, garlic helped maintain long-term blood sugar control, supported optimal levels of good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, HDL), lowered levels of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, LDL), and reduced overall cholesterol. Triglyceride levels, however, remained unchanged with garlic consumption.
Garlic has long been associated with better health, as reported by ScienceAlert. These new results add more detail about how the vegetable may help regulate cholesterol and glucose levels.
What’s Behind Garlic’s Effects?
The team said the available data are not comprehensive enough to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship. They did find a positive correlation between garlic consumption and lower blood sugar and bad cholesterol, and further research will help clarify the connection.
Currently, scientists think the positive effects of garlic stem from its active compounds, which help reduce oxidative stress. That reduction limits cellular wear and tear that can lead to cardiovascular disease.
Garlic also contains the antioxidant alliin. Previously, alliin has been linked to regulation of the gut microbiome as well as blood glucose and lipid levels. The recent findings are likely explained by a combination of these effects.
Either way, there’s another reason to add garlic to your daily diet.
The study’s results were published in the journal Nutrients.
