Eating garlic is a great way to boost your health. As well as being nutritious, garlic may reduce the risk of inflammation and conditions such as cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
The most significant health advantages come from fresh, raw garlic, but it’s far more common to eat it cooked. If you prepare it correctly, you can also access many of raw garlic’s potential benefits in its heated form.
Nutrition in Raw Garlic
With only 13 calories per serving (or three cloves), raw garlic contains trace amounts of several key vitamins and minerals.
However, the star component is allicin, a sulfur-containing compound that gives garlic its aroma and may provide many of its health benefits.
When you chop, slice, chew, or crush garlic, the process activates alliinase enzymes and, through a series of conversions, forms the phytonutrient allicin.
Garlic also provides B vitamins, such as vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine, which help your body produce energy from food. It’s also a source of the antioxidant vitamin C and the minerals selenium, calcium, and magnesium.
Nutrition in Cooked Garlic
Heating garlic or adding it to a recipe can alter its pH balance. Cooking garlic can reduce its nutrient content, particularly allicin.
Other healthy compounds are compromised by high temperatures, too. Vitamins B and C in garlic are water-soluble, so exposure to intense heat can degrade them.
Researchers compared fresh and cooked garlic to see how well they protect against cell damage and reduce cancer growth. They found that fresh garlic was effective, but cooking it significantly lowered its benefits and reduced its serving of healthy compounds.
Cooking garlic at a lower temperature — up to 140 degrees F — may help preserve the allicin’s benefits. Consider adding garlic toward the end of a recipe to prevent it from overcooking.
Health Benefits of Garlic
Plenty of research has examined the antioxidant properties of allicin in garlic and its potential benefits for a variety of health conditions.
It Can Lower Inflammation
Garlic contains a compound called diallyl disulfide, which may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Research has found that consuming garlic or garlic supplements produces anti-inflammatory effects in people who have colds, flu, or chronic conditions, like diabetes, as well as in healthy individuals.
One study found that garlic's anti-inflammatory properties may even help treat and prevent inflammatory bowel disease.
It May Improve Cardiovascular Health
Garlic has received much attention around its potential benefits for cardiovascular health, since it’s a key ingredient of Mediterranean cuisine, an eating pattern known to be heart-healthy.
One systematic review found that eating garlic can reduce blood pressure, waist circumference, and cholesterol levels, all of which are risk factors for heart disease. It also cites research showing that garlic can play a role in managing conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, which have close links to heart health.
Other research finds that garlic supplements, specifically aged black garlic pills, may lower diastolic blood pressure — the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests between beats. This is particularly true for men who already have hypertension.
It May Help Lower Cancer Risk
Current research shows that garlic and its allicin may have anticancer benefits. More human studies are needed to better understand how food preparation and the amount you eat can affect garlic's effectiveness for cancer prevention.
Most human studies concerning garlic’s effect on cancer risk compare people who eat a lot of garlic and those who consume very little. Some of that research has linked higher garlic consumption to a lower risk of cancer in the following organs and tissues:
Esophagus
Pancreas
Breast
Endometrium
Prostate
The Takeaway
Garlic offers health benefits whether it’s raw or cooked. The phytonutrient allicin is the compound in garlic that provides the most significant health effects.
Cooking garlic can reduce its health benefits, but heating it at lower temperatures may help to blunt that effect.
Eating garlic or taking garlic supplements may reduce inflammation, support cardiovascular health, and lower the risk of certain cancers.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Kilic-Akyilmaz M et al. Effect of Heat Treatment on Micronutrients, Fatty Acids and Some Bioactive Components of Milk. International Dairy Council. March 2022.
Farhat Z et al. Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Several Garlic Forms. Nutrients. September 21, 2023.
Zugaro S et al. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) as an Ally in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Current Issues in Molecular Biology. January 10, 2023.
Valls RM et al. Effects of an Optimized Aged Garlic Extract on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Moderate Hypercholesterolemic Subjects: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, Sustained and Controlled Study. Nutrients. January 17, 2022.
Pandey P et al. Updates on the Anticancer Potential of Garlic Organosulfur Compounds and Their Nanoformulations: Plant Therapeutics in Cancer Management. Frontiers in Pharmacology. March 19, 2023.
Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN, is the director of health promotion for Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois. She is also licensed as an exercise physiologist and certified in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Her experience includes corporate wellness, teaching for the American College of Sports Medicine, sports nutrition, weight management, integrative medicine, oncology support, and dialysis.
She earned her master's in exercise and nutrition science at Lipscomb University.
Andrew has served as a president and board member of the Nashville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was recently elected a co-chair of the fitness and medicine group in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Gordon Kerr is a retired nutrition professional with more than 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He holds a diploma in Food and Nutritional Science from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN) in Vancouver and currently resides in British Columbia.
