3 Ways to Eat Garlic That Transform It from a Miracle Drug Loved by Many into a Dangerous Carcinogen

Garlic contains compounds that can help prevent cancer, but if consumed incorrectly, it can turn from a health benefit into a potential carcinogen.

Nutritional Value of Garlic

Garlic is rich in nutrients; in 100 grams of garlic, there are 69.8 grams of water, 4.4 grams of protein, 0.2 grams of fat, 23.6 grams of carbohydrates, 5 mg of calcium, 44 mg of phosphorus, 0.4 mg of iron, and 3 mg of vitamin C.

Additionally, it contains compounds such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, allicin, citral, and trace elements like selenium and germanium.

100 grams of garlic also contain approximately 0.2% volatile oil. The main component of this oil is allicin, which is produced through the hydrolysis of alliin and has antibacterial effects. Allicin is significantly more beneficial for the brain compared to vitamin B.

According to Nature News, garlic has at least eight health benefits:

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University (USA) reported that garlic can reduce the risk of heart problems by 38%.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, USA) conducted a study involving 65 participants, revealing that daily consumption of garlic powder reduced the volume of atherosclerotic plaque by up to 18% over four years.

Garlic is a common spice often used in cooking.

A study published in the Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences found that daily consumption of garlic in doses ranging from 300 to 1,500 mg significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive individuals compared to atenolol and placebo.
Research has shown that garlic can kill at least 13 types of bacterial and viral infections.
A study published in the International Journal of Cardiology found that aged garlic extract increased brown fat (beneficial fat) around the heart while reducing white fat.
Garlic also prevents the common cold due to its allicin content, which is responsible for its distinctive smell.
According to a study, garlic helps remove lead from the body more effectively than the drug d-penicillamine.
Notably, garlic contains a significant amount of selenium, which can promote the breakdown of peroxides in the body, reducing the oxygen supply needed for malignant tumors, thereby inhibiting cancer cells to a certain extent and benefiting the alteration of cancer-producing environments.

Despite its numerous benefits, particularly in cancer prevention, using garlic incorrectly can turn it from a “miracle drug” into a “poison.”

1. Cooking Garlic

Cooking garlic destroys the beneficial properties of allicin, leaving only the aroma without the health benefits.

Allicin is one of the sulfur-containing compounds found in garlic that helps lower blood lipids, prevents blood clotting, combats hypertension, fights cancer, acts as an antioxidant, and has antibacterial effects.

2. Eating Too Much Raw Garlic

The allicin content in raw garlic is quite high. The higher the concentration of allicin, the stronger the anticancer effects, leading many to believe that the more raw garlic they consume, the better. In reality, this strong stimulation can make raw garlic unsuitable for many individuals.

Older adults or those with weak digestive systems may experience gastric irritation and chronic gastritis if they consume excessive amounts of raw garlic, potentially leading to stomach cancer.

3. Eating Roasted Garlic

Roasting garlic at high temperatures produces acrylamide, which, when combined with other foods, can create benzopyrene, a compound that increases the risk of cancer by twofold.

Notes on Garlic Consumption

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (USA), a healthy adult can consume about four cloves of garlic daily, with each clove weighing approximately 1 gram.